A PERFECT WORLD
by J7339
Summary: How will the crew of the SeaQuest react to what really happened at Node 3? Lucas and Mycroft are about to cross paths again.
1. Chapter 1

**A PERFECT WORLD**

**By JULES**

_Author Notes: This story idea wrote itself in my head within a few minutes, but unfortunately my fingers_

_have yet to keep up at getting it out on the screen. I hope you enjoy…………_

"Captain, Sir, Admiral Noyce is trying to communicate with us," Lieutenant Tim O'Neill stated.

"Put it on the front screen, Mr O'Neill, please," Bridger requested.

Tim nodded his head and pressed several buttons on his specially designed work station.

Present on board the Bridge of the SeaQuest were Commander Ford, Lieutenant O'Neill, Miguel Ortiz and Lucas Wolenczak.

"Good Morning, Nathan," came the cheerful greeting from one of the Navy's highest members of staff. To Nathan Bridger though, who had worked with him for the best of thirty years, the greeting was a little too happy.

"That doesn't sound at all like you, Bill. Now what is on your mind?" Bridger asked suspiciously.

"Come on now, Nathan, don't get all defensive on me," Noyce retorted. But then his body language turned more serious. He had a message to give and a mission to send the SeaQuest on.

"Nathan, how much do you know about the Andromeda Community?" the question came from the Admiral.

Bridger thought about the question for a few seconds before answering, and looked about the rest of the crew to see if the name meant anything to them.

Jonathan Ford was the first to speak, "Isn't that the highly classified research facility that was set up some years ago. Able to sustain itself without the need of outside assistance?"

Noyce knew he should have known better with Commander Ford, but was impressed by the man's extensive knowledge nonetheless.

"Your right Commander, on all accounts, the community is highly classified, and it was set up like you said, as a community able to cope under extraordinary circumstances."

"Extraordinary circumstances?" came the question from Miguel. He had not heard of the project or the community that was being discussed. Looking at Tim and Lucas, it appeared that Bridger and Ford were the only ones present who had some knowledge of the place.

"Admiral Noyce means it was set up to be able to provide a living sustainable place in the event of war, or natural disaster. The community was a one of a kind, a test to see if such a place could really exist. It does just that, but they never built more than one. Andromeda proved to be costly and since then other strategies have been put in place, like the U.E.O. and SeaQuest should there be a natural disaster or the break out of military unrest," Ford explained further.

"I don't know why I am even giving you this message, Nathan, seems Jonathan here knows almost more than my staff here at the base."

Ford was pleased of the Admiral's praise, but kept his emotions in check, and remaining a professional whilst on the Bridge and in front of other crew members.

"Has something happened at Andromeda?" Nathan asked Bill.

"We don't know. The community is under the control of its own people, separate from those governing other towns and cities. That is how it was designed. To be self sustaining. Up until now we rarely even have communications with them at all," Noyce relayed.

"Until now?" Bridger said, trying to guess at the reason for Bill's call.

"Well we still can't be sure of that either, Nathan. I have a distress message that was picked up from a small one maned sub very close to the Andromeda community. Please listen and I will play it back for you."

The crew on the Bridge listened as a crackly message began to play over the audio system:

"_Anybody……… please respond……(crackly interference) I need to get a message…………. Danger……..Andromeda……………."_

The transmission ended. The most that could be heard was a few distorted words and the unmistakable name of Andromedia.

"That's all of it? Bridger asked.

"That is it, Nathan. It was received in the early hours of this morning, and my people have listened to the transmission a dozen times, but that is all they can hear. The community is a long way out as you know, and we think the distance has a large part to play in the problem deciphering it."

"Let me guess, you want SeaQuest to figure out who sent the message?" Bridger surmised.

"Yes, Nathan, but also to find out if any part of that message is true. I mean they have their own power station there, and they mine their own minerals, grow their own food. They depend on no-one and don't report to anybody if there was problems occurring."

"Sir, do you think the person giving the message was from Andromeda?" Ford asked.

"We don't know, Jonathan, but it is possible. Of course you know the rules of the community, but at the moment, we don't know who sent the message. We tried to find the person and the one man sub, but there was nothing on sonar or radar that showed any sort of powered vessel in that area."

"You do realise, Bill, that there is over 100 miles between us now and Andromeda. It will take a day or two to get there in the first place," Bridger pointed out to his long-time friend.

"I know you can handle the job, Nathan," Noyce said before quickly terminating the transmission.

"God Damn, that man," Bridger said out loud in frustration, before looking around and realising that the rest of the crew were viewing him with raised eyebrows and surprised looks.

"Commander, you better get the senior staff organized for a meeting. Lucas you go find Doctor Westphalen and tell her that she is needed for this meeting."

"Tim, see if you can listen to that message from Noyce again a couple of times yourself and see if you can come up with any extra information, please."

"Aye, Sir," O'Neill responded.

"Mr Ortiz, could you go and find Lieutenant Kreig, we are going to need a running list of supplies we have at present from him and possibly his help later on," Bridger commented, thinking out loud.

An hour later, the assembled crew members were idling chatting around a table, waiting for the Captain to arrive. Ford had briefly had some quiet talks with him, knowing that the two of them would have to pile their resources and knowledge together and share what they collectively knew about Andromeda with the people gathered at the table.

Bridger stood up at the table, "I know you are all wondering while you are here. This might sound like another false alarm, or a rescue mission that we have been on in the past. But there are few things you should all be aware of before we even get close to the settlement of Andromeda. Commander Ford will tell you what we know…………" he added, sitting down and allowing the dark-skinned man to address the crew.

Using a monitor in the room, Ford brought up a planned diagram of the community of Andromeda. There were a few startled gasps at the size of the community and how much area it covered.

"As you can see, it is not just your average little town in the backwoods somewhere. Andromeda has all of the aspects of a major city. It has its own mining operations as Admiral Noyce said earlier, it grows its own food and processes that food for only the people living there."

"They have their own research labs there, and their own churches, schools, shopping centres, everything that you would normally associate with a city of that size."

"But……….." Lucas interrupted, already guessing that there was something not right about the place, or this meeting would not be taking place.

"Do they have night clubs there, because I could really use a couple of days relaxation," Kreig interjected, extracting a half concealed giggle from Ortiz.

"Kreig, this is no joking matter," Ford said firmly. "Andromeda is not some place where you can just wander anywhere you choose. They have a very strict entry policy, where you have to be invited. Even if you are allowed access to the city itself, they can monitor where you are at all times."

"Well, that doesn't sound like much of a fun place," Ben joked. Lucas smiled along with his friend this time.

"There are no police in the community as such, and no prisons. Mainly because they have no criminal activity. At the head of the community is a group of individuals that are respected by everyone else, and they believe with the enforced strict tracking that they do of all residents, they believe that no crime will be committed and if it was, they would be able to deal with it."

"Boy, sounds like they are living in a fantasy world, more like it," Lucas said, with a little sarcasm in his voice.

"No Lucas, they believe they just have a perfect world," Bridger commented.

"Then they better check again, because last time I looked, there wasn't any such place," Lucas scoffed. He was a little annoyed that people claimed to be civilised, but would then believe in such nonsense. He had seen plenty of the world, even in his short 17 years, and he could pick out quite a few problems with the world in general, and quite a lot if he really put his mind to it.

"Calm down, we are going there to try and find someone who might have sent a distress message. That's it, not to judge what they believe or think is right. The Andromeda community is not well known, but from all reports is a very clean, well organized, maintained and friendly society. Where people are encouraged to work for the good of the community and raise their families in safety."

"All sounds like a pipe-dream to me," Lucas remarked in a negative tone of voice. It might all sound like peaches and cream, but reality surely had to set some time. Without any further comment, he left the meeting room, feeling like he was contributing very little to the conversation at hand.

Bridger and the others were a little surprised at such a reaction from the normally shy teenager. But he could sort out what was bothering Lucas a little later on, right now they had to plot a course for Andromeda and figure out a plan of action when they got there.

Ford continued what he and Bridger had discussed earlier, "For now, the Captain and I think it best to err on the side of caution and not cause any unnecessary strain with the people at Andromeda. We are not going to mention about receiving the distress message, but ask if a hand picked team would be allowed to visit the community. Once inside the city, then we can begin looking for the person who used the one-man sub and why."

"Is there anything specific that you want me or my team to do, Commander?" Westphalen enquiried.

"Not at this time doctor, but please take stock of what medical supplies you have and be on stand by. Although we don't know where this message came from, we may need to be prepared to move one or more than one person from there if the risk assessment determines that there is cause to."

Kristen nodded her head at the request and would have everything checked and organised should the need arise.

"Kreig, I need you to do the same with the supplies for the galley and in general. Make sure there is extra clothing in case we need it. There is quite a distance to Andromeda and there are not any convenience stores along the way if we get scarce on some items. We may be able to resupply at the community, but until we know the situation there, I don't want to have to rely on that scenario."

"Mr Ortiz, you will have the most important job over the next couple of days," Bridger instructed. "I need you to work closely with Commander Ford and monitor any traffic near us or as we get closer to the community itself. If that one-man sub it out there, we may be able to communicate with it beforehand and get first hand information."

"That is basically all we can tell you for now," Ford concluded. "Just maintain your posts, but be ready in case we need to make a rescue of any kind."

At the end of the meeting, the other crew members had left the room, leaving Bridger and Kristen to talk to each other.

"What do you think about this whole thing, Nathan?" Kristen asked, seeing that the thoughts were already swirling around in his brain since getting the transmission from Noyce.

"I don't know to tell you the truth. The message doesn't bother me, but I am beginning to get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something doesn't sit right."

"Lucas's reaction was certainly strange before," Kristen commented.

"Yes, I don't know what ticked him off. I am going to talk to him now. I will see you a little later."

Walking along the corridor, Bridger could hear the music before he got anywhere near the door. Though he was used to the noise on a regular basis, today he sensed something bothering the teenager. He didn't have an answer why. Lucas was too young to have heard much about the Andromeda project and there was no reason why their going on a rescue mission would affect him.

Bridger knocked on the closed door a couple of times, but then asked himself why bother when it was evidently clear that Lucas would not have heard it anyway. That became even more apparent when Bridger opened the door slightly and spied the teenager lying on his bed, a set of earphones on his head and fully immersed in the song that was playing.

To an untrained eye it might seem just like another typical teenager listening to loud music, but from someone who knew Lucas better than most, Bridger knew it was a sign that the boy was trying to avoid something, or someone.

Lucas wasn't totally surprised when he saw the Captain standing in his room, sitting up and turning the music down to a more bearable level.

"I guess you are looking for an explanation."

"Well, yes I suppose that it why I came, but only if you want to tell me. I am not going to force you. It seemed odd that you just left the room like that, is all."

Lucas sighed and took the earphone off, leaving them on a nearby table. "I don't really have a good one anyway. Its not like I believe in religion or anything or think people should believe a certain thing or belong to a certain group. It just annoys me when people choose to follow someone else's beliefs and theories because they were told to."

"Have you ever been in a situation like that," Bridger asked cautiously, suspecting that Lucas's troubled childhood played a part.

"Most of my life, before I came to SeaQuest," Lucas answered glumly. "There were always rules for this and rules for that. Don't do this, do that or you can't do that. And the only explanation that I ever got when I did dare question it, was _because I said so._"

"I am sorry you had to live through that," Bridger commented, not wanting to drag up old memories for Lucas, but seeing that a raw nerve had already been touched today. The Captain already knew who Lucas was talking about as well, when it came to who enforced these rules upon him, but there was no need to mention that man's name either.

"What happens now with Andromeda?" Lucas asked, wanting to change the topic of conversation entirely.

"Well, we won't get there before tomorrow afternoon at the latest, even travelling at a good speed. In the mean time, some crew members have been asked to check their equipment and supplies in case we need them. Tomorrow morning I will make contact with the community before we arrive and apply to gain access to the community."

"I can't believe that there are such places that exist, where you need permission to go there," Lucas stated. "I am glad I won't be going there."

"Ready to go get something to eat," Bridger asked, trying to lighten the teenager's mood.

"Yeah, okay, lets go." Both of them leaving together.

By the next morning, Bridger had carefully planned with Ford and O'Neill to contact the community and apply for permission to enter. There should not be any need for a foreign language to be used, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Two hours, almost lunch time, the crew that had been on the Bridge yesterday were present again, with the addition of Doctor Kristen Westphalen. They were about to receive a transmission from the Andromeda community upon the response to their application.

On the screen, three people appeared, all men. The one in the middle was slightly taller than his two companions, and seemed to be the head of the group. He wore long maroon coloured robes and had greying hair and a beard.

"Greetings to you, Captain Bridger of the vessel, SeaQuest."

"Greeting to you as well," Nathan replied politely.

"My name is Xavier Cavanagh and I am the elected Chief Counsellor for the community of Andromeda. The two gentlemen you see standing beside me are Romanov Baartz and Keith Tammer. They are the elected representatives who overseer the laws of the community are upheld at all times."

"Greetings to you all," Bridger repeated, feeling a little unnerved though at the coldness in the man's tone of voice.

It lacked any emotion at all.

"Captain, as you are aware, there are strict entry requirements for this community. We have received your application to be granted permission to enter the community. At length we have discussed the reasons you provided and given the matter some consideration. However, at this time it has been decided that no member of the SeaQuest will be allowed access to Andromeda."

"Given it some thought! Bridger said, rueing the harshness of his words after they were spoken. "We only gave it to you a couple of hours ago, how much thought or discussion did you give it?"

"It is not our usual practice to give reasons why your application has been denied, Captain. But on this occasion I will make an exception and tell you why."

Bridger was not impressed by the man's almost stand over manner, and would not be scolded like some naughty child.

"The first person on your list is a Commander Ford," Cavanagh spoke. "But as you will note, he is a black-skinned man. The people of this community have not seen anybody other than their own kind before, and we feel it unnecessary to subject them to a person who would differ so much from themselves."

It was this statement alone that had the other crew members on the Bridger incensed that Commander Ford's race would be a reason for the crew's exclusion from the community. Racial discrimination had been stamped out a long time ago, but was still an unwanted mar on humanity.

"That's not right," Lucas shouted, standing up in Ford's defence. He didn't continue his barrage when the Commander waved him down with a hand gesture, but did not lose the scowl upon his face.

Commander Ford did not tolerate such discrimination either, but as a professional military soldier was not about to let his emotions interfere with any diplomatic negotiations. He was a little surprised, but grateful, when Bridger voiced the outrage felt by all.

"Mr Cavanagh, my crew and I don't appreciate your callous remarks about one of my crew. Commander Ford's skin colour should not be a consideration when you are determining our peaceful entry to your community," Bridger returned, his voice calm, but his body language stern and demanding.

"Regardless, Captain, the decision has been made and it is determined that you and your crew will remain on your vessel and will not be allowed into the community of Andromeda."

The transmission was ended abruptly and the screen went black.

"Well of all the…………….," Kristen began to say, her anger at the comments beginning to grow.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Ford asked, ignoring the personal comments made and asking the most obvious question.

"I don't know yet Commander, but despite what they said, I don't think it was you why we were turned away."

"Maybe they thought we were a threat, being a naval vessel and all," O'Neill suggested.

"One way or another, we are not about to be dictated to. Commander please keep our current course and speed towards the community of Andromeda," Bridger ordered, temporarily leaving the Bridge to give the matter some more deep thought.

To be continued………………………….


	2. Chapter 2

NEXT CHAPTER

With quite a few hours to go until they reached the community of Andromeda, was in his cabin when there was a knock at the door. He opened the hatch, to find Commander Jonathan Ford standing in front of him.

"Can I help you, Commander?" Lucas asked, noting that Ford was holding a clipboard.

"Are you busy at the moment, Lucas?" Ford asked, not entirely happy that he was having to fall back on the services of a teenage kid as part of the SeaQuest's maintenance crew.

"Uh, no, not really", Lucas answered, trying to hide the mess of candy bar wrappers and soda cans that littered his small computer work station.

"Can you please come and have a look at Ortiz's console on the Bridge, there was a short circuit of some kind and there doesn't seem to be anybody else about at the moment who knows how to fix it," Ford explained.

"Sure," Lucas said. He was happy to help out, but it bugged him a little that the recognition only came when they needed something fixed. "You would think on a crate this big they would have remembered to hire a technician or two."

"Don't remind me," Ford said with a little annoyance creeping into his voice. "The U.E.O. tells us we have to cut back on spending with the budget, but they don't give us the personnel that we need to keep the vessel working correctly."

"Well you know, that my services don't exactly come for free anymore either," Lucas pointed out, proudly reminding the Commander of how he had won himself a regular salary.

Ford rolled his eyes, knowing all too well how _'stoked' _as Lucas would put it that he had won a small battle with Captain Bridger.

The teenager grabbed a small black case that he kept a select few essential tools in and followed the Commander towards the Bridge.

Ortiz saw Ford and Lucas approaching and moved his chair away from his console, "I don't know what happened, I was trying to listen to what was happening outside, when the whole screen started to gurgle."

"Gurgle," Lucas laughed, finding the term amusing but not very helpful in pinpointing the cause of the problem.

"Yeah, the screen blinked a few times, and I thought it was going to lose power altogether. The readouts became a bit distorted and fuzzy for a few seconds, but then everything came back to normal," Miguel explained.

Lucas knelt down and opened the front black panel housing the station's electrical wiring and components. Right away the youth could see a few blackened wires at the front. "Well there is one of your problems. These are fried."

"Any chance of you being able to fix them,?" Ford hesitantly asked.

"Sure," Lucas answered, looking up at the Commander. "Might take a few hours though. The station will have to be switched off until I can see how much damage there is."

Miguel's station was one of the most useful aboard the SeaQuest, and Commander Ford knew of its importance should they come into trouble still heading towards the Andromeda community. But he was also aware that they couldn't afford to have it malfunctioning, or continuing to have glitches. Better to have the work done now while they still had quite a bit of time at hand.

"Let us know what you need, and get started," Ford said.

Lucas settled himself lying on his back, and began to take a detailed look at the wiring within the panel. After a few minutes he gave Ortiz a list of items he would need from the supply officer Ben Krieg.

Krieg didn't disappoint, and turned up within a short space of time, most of the components that the teenager was asking for in hand. "You know that I work on a strictly cash basis only for payment," Ben joked.

"Even for good friends like me," Lucas pouted.

"Especially for underage teenagers with little or no source of income, I always say," Ben claimed. "You know what Murray always tells me…….," leaving the statement unfinished. 

" Murray," Lucas shrugged, his tone changing to disinterested whenever the subject of Krieg's supply contact came up.

Ben could see Commander Ford coming their way with Miguel, so he cut the conversation short, "Well it doesn't just matter what Murray says, just make sure you do a bang up job."

Lucas gave Ben a distasteful look as he turned and left the Bridge, but then turned his attention to the items that he had received, making sure he had everything he would need.

"Have you started yet, Lucas" Ford questioned, having seen Krieg only a few moments before.

"Keep your shirt on, Commander, just about to."

"Don't forget to keep me informed," Ford commented before taking interest in something that O'Neill was listening to through his headset.

Two hours had passed very slowly, and although Lucas had been working solidly, the crew members were unable to gauge whether he was progressing or not.

Bridger had just walked onto the Bridge in casual clothing, still off-duty, but wanting to talk to Ford. "Is that Lucas under there," he asked.

"Yes, Sir," Ford admitted. "He was the best person I could find at short notice, and one of the few that truly knows what he is doing." Just as he finished the sentence, the sound of a dropped tool could be heard followed by a string of colourful words. A hand could be seen to retrieve the tool.

Lucas hadn't heard the Captain approach and wasn't aware of anybody talking to him, and from the position he was only visible from the waist down. The opening was quite narrow, allowing only a thin person enough manoeuvrability within the cavity.

"How is it going," Bridger asked innocently. The result was a teenager trying to rise too quickly from his cramped position halfway and smacking his head again the rim of the panelling.

"Ow!!" Lucas exclaimed, pulling himself out and rubbing at his forehead.

"Sorry about that," Bridger smirked, knowing that he had only managed to startle the teenager. "Gotten a little dirt on your face so I can see," he commented.

Lucas ran his arm over his face, only succeeding in spreading the dirt, "Well I only had to put a few patches in," he explained. There looked to be a whole lot more at first, but I tidied them up and straightened them out. Now we should be able to give it a boot and see if its going to work again."

"You think you have fixed it?" Ford queried, appreciative of the good news.

"Yep, try it and see, Ortiz," Lucas suggested, as he put the panel cover back in place. "It should work fine now."

Miguel took his usual seat at the station and pressed the correct switches. The controls began to light up one by one in the correct sequence.

Lucas had a smug look on his face, pleased with the job he had done. It quickly disappeared though as the sequence of lights was halted and a few of them began flickering oddly.

"Looks like you have some more work to do yet, Lucas," Miguel said.

"Well the panel that I just fixed wouldn't do that," Lucas stated, pushing a few of the controls that were flickering, trying to find the cause of the problem. After a few minutes, with the others waiting for his opinion, "Looks like a few lines of the program have collapsed."

Miguel vacated the chair and Lucas sat down, concentrating on the screen and the controls, rather than those standing around him. "Might take me a while to rewrite some of these," he told them.

"We'll leave you to it," Bridger suggested, motioning for the others to let the teenager be for a while. Once he was working with software, they had all seen before how involved Lucas became and how everything else around him was shut out.

Lucas gestured that he had heard the Captain, but his hands were then tapping away at the keys again, quicker than any of them could keep up with.

As they left the teenager to what he was doing, Bridger spoke to Ford, "Commander, I want to have a talk with you a few of the others about having a plan of action once we reach Andromeda."

"Aye, Captain," Ford said. "I should be available in ten minutes."

Bridger nodded his agreement. "Better bring Lieutenant Krieg in on this too, O'Neill and Ortiz of course, and anybody else you think should be there."

The casual meeting with Bridger and other senior members of the crew had been productive, lasting a good two and a half hours and ended up with a basic strategy in place for what they would do once they got closer to the community.

The SeaQuest was only a little over 12 hours away now, and their handling of the matter may have an impact on the outcome for many people.

After the meeting, the crew had eaten a light dinner in the galley. Bridger hadn't seen Lucas and by this time was hoping the teenager was close to getting Miguel's station to up and running properly again.

"I am going to the Bridge to check on Lucas," Bridger said to the others as he got up to leave.

"I'll join you, Sir," Krieg stated, clearing his tray.

When the two of them reached the Bridge, the room appeared to be a little darker. Lucas was still sitting at Ortiz's station, but his sandy head was leaning on his hand in slumber, blissfully unaware of those watching.

Bridger didn't want to startle him again as earlier, but placed his hand on the teenager's shoulder, "Hey sleepyhead," he whispered.

"Hey…. what…. who," Lucas said in confusion, jumping a little. He had only dosed for a few minutes before now, and hadn't wanted to fall asleep at all. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair to brush it out of his face..

"Get it working again?" Bridget asked.

"Yes and no." Seeing the puzzled expressions, he went on to explain further.

"Yes I managed to get the software working correctly, but no its not working at the moment, and I cannot figure out why. What I was going to come and suggest to you might seem a bit out there, but I think it will get everything operational again."

"_A bit out there…?".._ Bridger repeated, not knowing if the solution was going to be worse than the original small glitches.

"I think we need to reboot the whole Bridge itself. Turn it off and switch it back on so to speak. Like hitting reset, and getting everything back to normal. You don't normally have to do that to a station like this, the program is set up to run separate from other stations, but because of the rewriting I had to do, perhaps that is why I can't get it to response properly yet."

"You are right," Ben chuckled, "It's out there alright. Ford will have a coronary."

"Do you think its safe enough to risk something like that?" Bridger asked, ignoring Krieg's comments.

"I can't be 100 sure, but there is no other explanation why it won't work. I have been here for the last half an hour after I rewrote a few lines that had been damaged, without any success."

"Alright, if you are sure that it will work," Bridger said, "But you get to tell Commander Ford if it still doesn't work."

"Have you done this before?" Krieg asked wanting to know if doing something like this had been successful. He wasn't doubting the kid's skill with a computer, but this was million dollar equipment that they were playing with.

"Once or twice, and yes it did always work." Lucas said with pride. "I tried it once on……." he started to say, remembering a time that it had worked with his father's computer, but the smile disappearing from his face as the memory of the punishment that he had received came back also.

Hoping Bridger and Krieg hadn't heard him start that line of thought, he pressed the necessary controls to turn the station completely off. "Once you turn it off, count to five and reboot."

One……. two……three………four…….five, Lucas counting silently, Ben counting out loud.

After the count of five, Lucas pushed the same sequence as he had earlier when trying to restart the station. The same pattern of coloured lights began showing on the control panel. This time though, instead of flickering, they stayed normal and showed the system working correctly.

"Yahoo!" Lucas shouted exuberantly, secretly sighing in relief that it had worked like he had said. He had done it before, and it had worked, but didn't want to think about what would happen if it still didn't work.

"Great stuff, Lucas," Ben said, clapping the teenager on the shoulder for a job well done.

"You got it working again, Lucas," Ford stated, just walking onto the Bridge again since the meeting. "Thank you."

Smiles all round, and Lucas was pleased to be in the spot light for a few moments for his talents, even they weren't always so recognised.

"Well I don't know about any of you, but I am going to sack out," Lucas said, rubbing his eyes and feeling the grit and redness from too many hours of staring at the screen concentrating.

"Get some rest, you deserve it Lucas," Ben commented as the teenager left though the large doors. "That kid's is something else with computers," he voiced out loud, Bridger and Ford nodding their heads in agreement as they looked back at the station, the control panel working like a charm again.

Ben returned to his cabin to catch up on some orders and paperwork, Ford signed off on his shift for the day, and Bridger went to change into his uniform, ready to take over on the Bridge from his second in command.

After returning to the Bridge and after a fairly routine six hours, the Captain was coming towards the end of his shift.

"Captain, Admiral Noyce is coming through on the video link," O'Neill informed him.

"On screen please," Nathan instructed.

"Hello, Nathan," Noyce greeted him, acknowledging the other crew members with a small nod. "Have you made any progress with the community leaders as yet?"

"Not yet, Bill," Bridger admitted, "I spoke to them and asked for permission to enter Andromeda, but it seems that they had a problem with the colour of Commander Ford's skin."

Noyce could hear the distain in his old friend's voice about the reason for refusal of entry. "Sorry to hear that, Nathan, but I may be able to help somewhat."

"How?" Bridger asked, a little suspicion creeping in. Noyce wouldn't get involved unless there was going to be a larger benefit for the U.E.O. as a whole, not just the SeaQuest.

"Now, don't go all huffy on me Nathan," Noyce pleaded to be heard. "Hear me out and I promise everything will work out just fine."

To Bridger those words coming from the Admiral spelt something that he wasn't going to like.

"Spit it out," Bridger demanded.

"After you left Pearl, I did a little talking of my own to Xavier Cavanagh and the Councillors, and did a little negotiating for you. It involves permission being granted for a small party from the SeaQuest to be enter the community under special conditions," Noyce explained.

"How did you get them to agree? Jonathan and I submitted the application they asked for and were curtly told that none of us were getting access to Andromeda."

"Well, like I said Nathan, I had to negotiate some special conditions," Bill said, squirming a little in his seat. This didn't go unnoticed by Bridger.

"Uh-huh," the Captain urged, waiting for the _'but' _that he knew was coming.

"Like you said, they had a problem with Commander Ford, and I couldn't sway them on that point, but I did get them to agree to a hand-selected team of 3 to enter the community and be given an extensive tour of the facility and any questions answered," Noyce continued.

"Which three?" Bridger questioned, knowing that he was undoubtedly one of them.

"Well there is you of course, and I thought Lieutenant O'Neill would also be an excellent choice, given his background and experience with languages."

Bridger shrugged a half-hearted agreement to Noyce's way of thinking. Tim should be able to help if the party had any language barriers or communications problems.

"The third?" Bridger prodded, seeing that Noyce was deliberately stalling who had been chosen. He had naturally thought it would be Kristen Westphalen, with her medical knowledge.

"I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to meet some new and exciting people, Nathan," Noyce explained, still not committing to a name.

At hearing the word _"him_" Bridger surmised that it wasn't going to be Kristen. "So who is it?"

"He will listen to you Nathan, if you told him. The experience would be great, and he would learn some new…….." Noyce said, half completing the sentence.

"Lucas?" Bridger guessed. "But he has already told me that he doesn't have any intentions of going over there."

"That's why I thought you could talk to the boy, Nathan. You know him better than anybody else, and will find a way to persuade him."

"Persuade him,!" Bridger argued, knowing that he had been caught right in the middle of one of Bill's political stunts. "I am not going to force him if he doesn't want to go."

"The three names have already been submitted to the council, Nathan. They cannot be changed now at such short notice," the Admiral informed him. "Besides they sounded very intrigued when I told them all about him."

"What exactly did you tell them about him?" Nathan wanted to know.

"Just that he was an impressive kid for his age, and that he could learn a lot, but needed guidance and a bit of discipline at times."

"Lucas is not going to be very co-operative when he hears you have been talking like that about him."

"I know you will handle it well, Nathan. Just let me know what you find out and if you and your team find out about the distress signal," Noyce said hurriedly. "Go to go now." The video link was now finished and the transmission ended.

Kristen Westphalen walked onto the Bridge, wanting to talk to Nathan just as Noyce faded from the screen. "You don't look very happy."

"Can you tell?" Nathan responded. "That was Noyce, he has somehow gone over my head and negotiated with these people at Andromeda about allowing a specially hand-picked team to enter."

"I take it you are not impressed with the choices he made," Kristen surmised.

"I thought he would have at least put your name forward," Bridger said, letting her know that she would not be part of the away team. "He put forward my name, Lieutenant O'Neill and Lucas."

"Lucas?" Kristen said sounding just as surprised as the Captain had been at first. "Why on earth would he chose a teenager?"

"You're guess is as good as mine. And the best part is that Noyce wants me to tell him," Nathan grumbled.

"He didn't want to go in the first place," Kristen recalled.

"I know. But now there is no way of changing the names so Bill tells me."

"Good luck, because you are going to need it," Kristen said as she walked back towards her own areas of the submarine.

Bridger knew that there was no point in delaying telling those who needed to know. Leaving the Bridge, he headed towards the gym, knowing that Commander Ford usually liked to exercise at this time of the day.

"Sir," Ford greeted him, a little surprised to see Bridger in the gym.

"I was just talking with Admiral Noyce on the video link. The council at Andromeda are going to allow a party of 3 to gain entry to the facility," Nathan repeated to his second in command. "I am sorry Commander, but you are not one of those selected."

"No apologies necessary, Sir." Ford stated, briefly stopping his routine. "I am not taking it personally and neither should you."

"Noyce has selected, Tim O'Neill, me, and Lucas."

Commander Ford's reaction to the selection of the youth was pretty well matched that of Kristen Westphalen on the Bridge a short time ago.

"How are you going to convince him, Sir?" Ford wanted to know.

"Just tell him the truth, I guess," Bridger answered, not knowing of anyway to sugar-coat it. He left the gym area and proceeded down a corridor that expanded away from the Moon Pool.

Bridger didn't know if the teenager would be awake or not. Lucas had told him that he was going to get some sleep after working on Ortiz's station. As he got closer to the small cabin that was occupied by the resident genius, he couldn't help but hear the loud music coming from inside.

Mindful of the teenager's privacy, Bridger knocked loudly on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in," came the answer.

Bridger entered and found Lucas sitting at his computer keyboard, pen clamped between his teeth and a slight frown on his face.

"Damn thing won't work," Lucas muttered crankily, tossing the component he was working on aside. He gave the Captain a wry smile of apology for his outburst.

"I thought you were supposed to be catching up on some sleep," Bridger challenged.

Lucas removed the pen from his mouth, "I was going to, but something more important came up."

"With you its always something more important," Bridger reminded the youth. "Whatever it is can wait…...," he added and paused.

"What brings you in here?" Lucas asked, changing the subject.

"What I came in here to tell you, can't" Bridger replied, trying to find the right words to explain the predicament that Noyce had put him in.

"You are not going to like this," Bridger fore-warned. "But Admiral Noyce has set this up, and there isn't a whole lot I can do about it."

"Done what?" Lucas enquired, giving his full attention to the Captain. He knew of the long standing friendship between Noyce and Bridger, but he also knew that there had been a few occasions were Noyce had twisted Nathan's arm.

"Tim O'Neill and I have been given permission to tour the Andromeda community when we arrive in a couple of hours."

"After what they said about Commander Ford," Lucas responded before Bridger could finish.

"And so have you," Bridger added hesitantly.

"And so have…….me?" Lucas said hotly, standing up as he realised the implications. "Well they… you can't make me and I don't want to go."

"I know you don't want to go, I told Noyce that. Heck I don't even want to go. Not sure about O'Neill." Bridger said, trying to get the teenager to see things from his perspective. His hands were being tied by Noyce's red tape.

"I told you before what I thought about facilities like that," Lucas spoke, pacing back and forth wondering how on earth Noyce could think he was a good choice. "They don't believe in individualism, freedom of speech, creative thinking, all of the things that I pride myself on."

"It may not be all that bad," Bridger tried to suggest, but knew the words didn't ring true even as he said them.

"Then you must be living in the same dream world as them," Lucas accused. "Can't you just call Noyce back and tell him that he made a mistake. I don't want to go over there Captain."

"If I can think of a way out for the both of us before we leave, you will be the first to know," Bridger assured him, hoping his own dislike of Noyce's plan would persuade the teenager.

"What are we supposed to do anyway?" Lucas asked, resigning himself to the fact that he would probably he dragged along.

"We still have to try and find out who sent that distress message. Noyce has organised for the three of us to enter the community and be given a tour. Perhaps they might know who it was. Please just humour me for a few hours and come with us?"

Lucas looked at Bridger, finding it difficult to say no, but at the same time not wanting to say yes either. "I suppose if it is just for a few hours, I can last that long."

"Your protest is so noted. Don't let any of these guys get to you with the comments they made about Jonathan. We all know here how good a person he is. We should be getting closer in about an hour and a half. I will page you when the launch is ready."

"Do we need to take anything?"

"Just a thick skin I think and plenty of tolerance," Bridger responded in all seriousness. "Their belief system may be out of whack compared to ours, but that might be just because of the environment that they live in."

Lucas nodded, but still felt a little uneasy for some reason about having to go to this community. He couldn't really put a finger on why, but it there was a small knot of nervousness beginning to settle in his stomach.

The time was nearing 12 noon when the Captain was once again to the video link screen on the Bridge. Before him and others were the same people they had spoken to from Andromeda community, Xavier Cavanagh the one who had introduced himself as Chief Counsellor for the community of Andromeda and the two men standing beside him, Romanov Baartz and Keith Tammer

"Is your team ready to leave the SeaQuest, Captain?" Cavanagh enquired, his face serious and emotionless.

"Yes, the three of us are preparing to leave now," Bridger informed them. "It will take approximately 15 minutes for the launch to depart SeaQuest, travel the short distance to your and dock with the security hatch."

"We await your arrival," Tammer spoke. He didn't seem as stiff and serious as Cavanagh, but he wore a similar style of long maroon robes, and his faced lacked animation. Somehow the team didn't think they would be getting the red carpet treatment upon arrival, no matter what negotiations Noyce had planned.

"Let's go," Bridger motioned to O'Neill and Lucas towards the Moon Pool and the launching dock.

"We will be monitoring your mini-sub from in here, Captain," Ford announced as the team departed, hoping that Bridger would catch on that the SeaQuest would be nearby if something went amiss and there was any trouble brewing.

O'Neill took the controls of the mini-sub once they were free of the SeaQuest, a little nervous, but excited to be piloting the sub mostly on his own. Lucas was sitting in the back, looking out the small porthole as they neared the community.

After about 12 minutes, a thudding halt and bump of the mini-sub told the trio that they had made contact with the outer security hatch. The three of them waited at the door for the sensors to turn green, signalling that all of the water had been drawn out of the airlock and that there was breathable oxygen flowing through the connecting corridor.

"Captain Nathan Bridger of the SeaQuest," O'Neill introduced, as he stepped out first and saw the three councillor's standing a few metres away.

"Greetings to you and your crew Captain Bridger," Cavanagh remarked. "You must be Lieutenant Timothy O'Neill," he continued.

"Yes, sir," O'Neill responded, not sure what the correct title for these men was. He held out his hand to shake hands in a friendly manner, but pulled back after Tammer looked at the gesture disdainfully and ignored him.

Lucas was the last out of the mini-sub, and was looking around at the entrance as he stepped forward. He then felt the attention of the three councillors come to him, and swallowed a little as he watched the coal black eyes stare back at him.

"This is Lucas Wolenczak, Chief Computer Analyst aboard the SeaQuest," Bridger introduced, thinking that the air was beginning to thicken with tension.

"A little young to be a submariner, is he not," Cavanagh voiced. "Admiral Noyce did tell us that he was a young person, but until just now, I had not realised that he intended to send a child."

"I am seventeen years old," Lucas bristled at being considered a child, but refrained from saying anything further as he felt a hand on his shoulder from Bridger.

"Lucas is really talented with computers and we couldn't have done without him on the SeaQuest over the last couple of years," Bridger told the group, trying to take the focus off of his youthful appearance.

"At seventeen, the young people are still at school and becoming useful members of our society," Cavanagh stated.

"I have become a useful member of society, and graduated top one percent of my class from university when I was fourteen," Lucas said in his own defence.

Cavanagh refused to respond to the youth except to appear sceptical at his achievements. The longish blond hair and non-uniform attire  
of the teenager told him that Lucas might be a troublemaker. He did not voice his opinions not out loud.

"Captain, I will give you a personal tour of our facilities, but please be aware that we make our own laws on Andromeda and have our own lifestyle. It may be difficult for you and your members to understand why things happen the way they do here, but I assure you that this is a peaceful community that continues to prosper and grow," Cavanagh explained.

"Before we begin, I must ask that you and your team each wear one of these sensors. They are only small and emit only a small electrical signal that is detected by our main frame computer. It is merely a safety precaution, in the unlikely event that you or the others should become separated on the tour."

Tammer handed Lucas and Tim each a small red circle and demonstrated to them how to attach them to their shirt. When Lucas took a closer look at the three council members, he saw that they each had one as well.

"The main building you are about to enter is the main centre for all of Andromeda. The headquarters if you like…….." Cavanagh explained as a set of Perspex doors opened and the SeaQuest team were ushered through them.

Romanov Baartz led the way, but he had yet to speak to the trio at all. The SeaQuest team walked alongside of Tammer, whilst Cavanagh kept up the commentary as they walked. Lucas was just in front of the leader, and didn't notice the coal black eyes constantly watching him from behind.

Lucas was surprised when walked through the doors, just how big the place appeared, and sophisticated. He didn't know exactly what to expect when they first arrived, but this wasn't it. This place had the look of a very modern plaza. There were many people going about their daily business, and upon seeing the council members, greeted them with respect.

"This plaza is a very busy commercial district where much trading of good and services is carried out. There are of course specific rules and laws about what is bought and sold, and the social hierarchy, but I don't need to bore you with those details at the moment."

"It certainly looks impressive," Tim voice, noticing how well dressed the people were and how organized the plaza appeared to be. It didn't look like down town New York or anything like that, but there was merit in organisation and here he could see it being implemented well.

The group now went underneath some two-storey buildings and out of the view of the plaza area. They continued walking until they came to a large glassed elevator. "This will take us to a meeting room where we can continueour discussion."

Tim and Lucas looked at each other, a little surprised that the tour was being halted before it really began. Nevertheless, they went with the Captain and the council into the lift. They couldn't see anymore of the city from where they were, the lift becoming dark as they rose in height.

Nobody spoke whilst they were in the lift, and the SeaQuest crew couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about what appeared to be no more than a charade.

They council members exited the lift first, and led Bridger and the others into a large meeting room. From here they could see a lot of electronic equipment up against the wall, and viewing monitors. In the centre of the room, was a large granite coloured table. The chairs were of a very modern design, and didn't look very comfortable for sitting.

"This Captain, is a network of computers all linked into one main frame. All data about the community is collected within these rooms and stored here. We monitor everything from weather and crop management, to housing, employment and of course security."

"Seems like a very big operation," Bridger replied, "Takes the human touch away from things though doesn't it."

"You are not the first to voice such opinions, Captain, but I assure you that everything runs smoothly. There is no criminal activity, and families are given a safe environment to bring up their children and see to it that the next generation prospers just as we do now."

"Must have a few glitches from time to time," Lucas piped in, not wanting to touch anything, but quietly absorbing the technology and what it would mean in maintenance. He knew what the SeaQuest took to keep maintained on a regular basis, and the vessel wasn't nearly as computer orientated as this community.

"We have a full staff of trained technicians that designed this system and constantly monitor for any problems, before they arise," Cavanagh responded, looking directly at the Captain as he spoke. Lucas scowled a little, feeling like he was being treated like a moron.

"No system is perfect. None that I have seen anyway, and that has been quite a few," Lucas rebutted. "There must be some problems that come up from to time."

"I am afraid that the technology used on this community might be more advanced than anything you're used to using, son," Tammer interjected. "Everything is done centrally and nothing happens without it being controlled in some way by this main frame. The people work for the good of their families and the community. Everyone works for the community as a whole, and everyone benefits as a whole."

"Sounds like the perfect world as you say," Bridger commented, "But like Lucas says, I don't think you can really achieve it. Its good that people work together for one cause, but there are always going to be those who don't conform to the norm."

"We have counter measures in place for those who do not wish to _"join in" _with the community, Captain. Nobody leaves Andromeda, so we had to devise an alternative to prisons and bad behaviour."

"What do you do with them?" Tim asked, not sure he liked the idea of controlling the behaviour of everyone.

"We have a diversionary program that isolates them from the rest of the community for a short time, whilst they undergo some 'adjustments'," Tammer explained.

"So they can become like robots," Lucas said with disgust in his voice. He hadn't meant to say anything, but the ideals of this community were beginning to sound like control gone mad.

"Lucas," Tim hissed at the teenager, trying to think of a way to apologize for the outburst. He didn't like what they were saying either.

"The people here are not treated like robots, young man," Tammer responded, "But order is maintained and any trouble-makers identified. Children grow up and are taught to respect the community as a whole and that their behaviour reflects on everyone."

Lucas could sense that the council members were beginning to take a dislike to him, secretly clenching his fist in frustration.

What these people didn't understand is that under his father's control, Lucas had been reminded everyday that his behaviour reflected on his family. Lawrence continually told him how much of a disappointment he was to the Wolenczak name.

"No matter how good you think your computers are or your laws, you will never control everyone," Lucas said and then abruptly walked behind Bridger as he tried to recompose himself. He knew that he had let his emotions and personal experience get the better of him. He looked at Bridger and tried to apologise with a sheepish grin.

Cavanagh didn't respond further, but he definitely found the young man's spirit different to the teenagers on Andromeda. Up until now, they had been able to mould families into what the community considered to be model families, with pre-designed ideas about how individuals within that family should act. If he was on Andromeda, this young man might be a challenge, but he would be ideal for the "adjustment" program.

"Did Admiral Noyce mention anything about the real reason we are here today?" Bridger asked, trying to clear the air a little and focus on their purpose.

"He briefly mentioned something about receiving a message, but I assured him that no unauthorised messages could leave Andromeda without our main frame computer being able to detect it. If someone from here was in trouble, then we would have found out about it and been able to help."

Bridger seemed unconvinced by the answer, but couldn't didn't have any way of proving that the message had definitely come from here, and who it had come from.

"I believe that the tour has come to an end. Mr Tammer will lead you down the same route you came through, and you may return to your vessel." Cavanagh told them.

Now it was Bridger who thought he was being admonished like a five-year-old child. And it didn't sit well with him anymore than it had with Lucas.

"Thank you for your invitation," Bridger said tactfully, urging Tim and Lucas to head back out the way they had come.

The mission had been a complete failure almost, with them not being able to see hardly any part of the community, and the council outright denying that any message had been sent. He didn't think that remaining would achieve anything further though.

As they started to walk down the corridor to the mini-sub, Lucas turned his head, feeling as though he was being watched.  
He was a little surprised to see Cavanagh standing behind Tammer, looking at him. Those coal black eyes were still emotionless, but the teenager felt more than uneasy. He was glad to be finally leaving.

Tim O'Neill completed all the necessary steps to departing the security hatch, "Commander Ford, this is O'Neill from the sub, we are on our way back."

"Message received, Tim," Miguel Ortiz responded from the Seaquest. "How did the mission go?"

"Uh, we didn't find out anything," O'Neill replied, looking at Bridger and Lucas as he spoke, choosing not to relay any further details of what had happened until they were back aboard the SeaQuest.

"They would be great to invite over for Christmas lunch, don't you think," Bridger joked with Lucas. The teenager had remained a little sullen after his outburst.

"Oh yeah, swell. Remind me when they come so I can disappear," Lucas said in a serious voice, turning his attention to the sea outside the porthole, trying to ignore what had been seen.

"Thanks for coming along, I know it wasn't a fun experience, but its finished now." Lucas nodded in return, but didn't say anything.

"Captain, I am getting some sort of blip here on the mini-sub's radar," O'Neill informed Bridger. Nathan joined him at the controls, watching for the blip.

"There it is again," Tim confirmed. "SeaQuest, this is O'Neill, Miguel are you picking up anything back there. I am getting a small blip, in a southerly direction about a mile away."

Commander Ford joined Miguel at his station, waiting as Ortiz listened through his head-set, trying to see the same blip that O'Neill was recording. "We can see something now, Lieutenant."

"Captain!" Lucas called out, as he continued to look out the side porthole. They were only a short distance from the Andromeda community. "Look, down there," he pointed, "Lights."

Bridger looked out the porthole beside Lucas, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the murkiness of the water.

"Just underneath that rock," Lucas directed, pointing downwards. Whatever it was, it was a long way down. They could see lights, but not much else to distinguish what they were coming from.

"Let's get back to the SeaQuest, we can send out the hyper-reality probe from there and get a better look. It's too deep for this little sub to risk," Bridger suggested.

Tim guided the mini-sub safely through to the launching bay, and the three of them began disembarking. Commander Ford was there to greet them, as was Kristen Westphalen. She noted the sullen look on Lucas's face, but a gesture from Bridger signalled that they needed to wait for a more appropriate time.

Lucas splashed his hand in the water of the Moon Pool for Darwin as he made his way to the Bridge, curious as the others about what was causing the lights.

Miguel Ortiz had been using his station to get a better fix and location on the source of the lights, but was having trouble because of the depth.

Bridger sat at Commander Hitchcock's station, and began to put on the gloves for the hyper-reality probe. He then secured the specially designed glasses over his eyes and set about manoeuvring his hands in the direction he wanted to go.

Lucas stood behind the Captain and watched intently as the probe began to dive through the water. The water was getting murky again, making visibility difficult.

The SeaQuest had been at quite a depth herself, so there wasn't a whole lot of water to begin searching through. They had only travelled a short distance from the Andromeda community when Lucas spotted the lights.

"What do you think the lights belonged to," Ortiz asked Tim as they stood nearby waiting for the probe to do its job.

"There is your answer gentlemen," Bridger declared, happy with the progress of the piece of equipment. "It's a small sub." he continued, able to make out the distinctive lights of a small sub, not much different from the one that they had just returned from Andromeda in. It definitely didn't look like a U.E.O. vessel though.

"How long has it been down there," Kristen asked.

"It can't have been down there all that long," Ford replied. "Small subs like that have power reserves for oxygen, but they quickly run out after a few days. The lights are still quite strong, which is why it was spotted, so it can't have been here more than 2 days."

Bridger continued to use the probe to try and find out more about the mysterious sub.

"Why would a small sub like that be way out here?" Miguel questioned. "Could that be where that distress message came from?"

"A strong possibility, Ortiz," Bridger answered, "But Noyce originally told me that the message came from within the community, so it might have nothing to do with this vessel."

"Highly unlikely, Captain," Kristen surmised. When it came to rationality and plain common sense, the doctor was usually accurate.

Bridger's attention was briefly taken away from what the crew were saying by a ledge of rock that the bottom of the sub was resting on. The vessel was at an odd angle though, suggesting it become stuck and wedged against the rock and unable to free itself.

"Commander Ford, do you think we can get a the claw of one of those crabs in there and work the sub free?"

Bridger asked, pointing where the sub was wedged.

"Nathan, you don't think its possible someone is still inside of that sub?" Kristen suddenly asked. "I mean if it has been down here like Jonathan says, for 2 days or more………."

Bridger tried to angle the probe so that they could look inside one of the small portholes, but the thick glass was very dirty and they couldn't see inside well enough to know if someone was trapped inside.

"Krieg, get one of those sea-crabs ready to launch now. We will try and bring the sub in whole. If there is someone inside, that will take less time and we can have Dr Westphalen's team ready if there are any injured people inside," Ford ordered.

"Aye, Commander," Krieg responded, hurrying off. Krieg had piloted the crabs on many occasions and had actually become one of the more skilled crew members at working the mechanical arms. At times they had been cumbersome and difficult to move, but Krieg appeared to have a knack.

Doctor Westphalen went off the Bridge and prepared to get Med-Bay ready, just in case her medical team would be needed.

"O'Neill, Ortiz, I need you to get some equipment ready to open the hatch when Ben brings the sub in. With the pressure of the water at this depth, it might be stuck or need prying open," Ford said, going through the list inhis head. There had been many drills and training sessions during his career where they practised what to do when they were on a rescue mission.

"Lucas, can you man Tim's communication station for a few minutes until we get the sub safely aboard the SeaQuest. See if you can rouse any kind of response from the sub."

"You got it," the youth said, scrambling into the chair and listening through the headset and attempting to find a frequency that would work. He had not had much experience with the communications stations, but had seen what O'Neill did enough to help out.

Bridger continued to use the probe to work out how to release the bottom of the sub. He had tried to look inside a second porthole to see if there was anybody inside, but that partly covered by the ledge of rock.

"There is some lettering here on the side of the sub, but I can't work out what it says, or a company logo," Bridger remarked, trying to take a look from a few feet away. Perhaps they could work out who owned it.

"This is SeaQuest, if you can hear me, please respond," Lucas spoke through the radio several times. He kept listening for static or a sound coming through, but there was nothing but silence. "Sorry, Commander, if there is anybody in there, they are not answering."

"Keep trying please, Lucas," Ford requested.

"I can work out an N here and a number 3 here," Bridger said to Ford, still trying to distinguish any readable lettering.

Lucas heard the Captain talking, but had not taken any particular notice of what combination of letters or numbers had been given. Although vague, he may have realised that it was connected to his recent past.

Bridger could now see through the probe that Ben Krieg had arrived with the Sea-crab. "Use the two grappling cables to try and pull it out from the bottom here and at the other end to stop it from tipping over unevenly," the Captain relayed back.

"Aye, Sir," Ben acknowledged, using the controls gently but with precision. On his first attempt he had managed to grab a hold of the sub, but then the second cable became detached too early and he had to try it a second time. On the second occasion, the water was swirling murky again from the action of the large arm, making visibility difficult.

It took closer to ten attempts by Ben, before he was able to grasp the bottom of the sub correctly enough. He was surprised how awkwardly the vessel was positioned. The sub would not have been able to free itself without intervention.

Luckily the SeaQuest had come along when it did he thought to himself.

Before pulling the sub away from the rock wall completely, Krieg secured a winch line, to prevent the sub falling deeper once it was free. Normally it should float, but because they didn't know if anybody was inside it or not and they couldn't take the risk.

"Here goes," Krieg announced, startled by the heavy jerk on the end of the winch line when it came free.

Now that the mini-sub was free of the rock wall, it was positioned a little better for Krieg to be able to look through the front windscreen. It too had become dirty from the silt, but by using one of the strong lights of the sea-crab, Ben became convinced that he could make out the outline of someone slumped over the control panel.

"I think we have someone still trapped inside," he informed the crew urgently, knowing that there was little time to waste.

With the sub free, Bridger was able to get a better look at the lettering and numbering along the outside as well to identify which company it belonged to. "N O D E 3" he read out loud.

"No way!" Lucas shouted in astonishment, having heard the letters, but scarcely able to believe it. Those letters combined spelled the name of a place he was certainly familiar with, but hadn't thought of for the best part three years.

"You recognize it, Lucas?" Ford asked a little surprised at the teenager's outburst. The teenager had left the communications station and was standing beside the Captain, trying to make sure for himself that he had heard correctly.

"Ben thinks there might be someone inside," Ford told Lucas, seeing a multitude of mixed emotions come across the teenager's face. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Someone inside," Lucas repeated, telling himself that it couldn't possibly be whose name popped in his head.

"He can't be sure, but he says it looks like someone is inside. He is working on bringing the sub in now if you want to wait by the Moon Pool?" Ford queried, the teenager seeming to paying no attention, instead, lost in his own thoughts.

Without saying anything further, Lucas turned as if to walk off the Bridge. "Are you alright Lucas?" Ford asked, touching the youth's shoulder briefly. Bridger had been trying to keep most of his attention on the probe and the sub, but had heard Ford's question.

"Um, got to get some air, Commander," Lucas said, pulling away abruptly. "Going to my cabin."

"Where was he going?" Bridger asked, only catching the tail end of the conversation.

"Said he is going to his cabin, Captain, but something looks to be bothering him."

"He was a little ticked off by a few things said when we were on Andromeda too," Bridger explained, not thinking that there was any connection yet between the mini-sub and Lucas.

"I don't think that was it, Captain," Ford responded, noting that nobody was sitting at the Communications station. The rescued sub was only a short time away from the launch bay though.

Ford went to meet up with the crew standing at the launch bay, waiting to help with the sub. Bridger finished with the hyper probe and joined him a short time later. Just he reached the moon pool area, he could see the sub being lifted and sea water draining from underneath.

The enlisted crew members that were present scurried about, ready to attach the cables that would steady the small sub and allow it to be set on the ground. The front window and porthole were still filthy, so it was still to early to make a positive identification on anyone inside. The lights on the top and front were still shining, although not as brightly as before. O'Neill and Ortiz were helping with the salvage crew to secure the cables.

"Lower away," came the instruction once all cables were in position. The damage to the sub could clearly be seen in a few areas from the rock.

Doctor Kristen Westphalen had her team prepared as requested. She had herself and two others standing by to make an immediate assessment here at the launch bay. The other half were in the Med-Bay ready to move into action if necessary.

Kristen had frowned slightly as she could see Lucas standing on the other side of the moon pool. Perhaps the youth thought it was a good idea to keep out of the way. But the teenager appeared to be watching everything that was going on intently. It was highly unusual for Lucas to stand back and not want to be standing where the action was.

"Close those outer sea doors," Ford ordered one of the enlisted men.

Ortiz and O'Neill now approached the damaged sub; Miguel climbed on top and attempted to turn the hatch. "It's a little stuck," he grunted putting all of his weight into it.

"You might need these," Tim offered, handling up a pair of large wrenches, but before Ortiz took them, the crew heard the tell-tale hiss of escaping air to signal that the lock had finally released.

Ortiz lifted the heavy hatch door and began peering inside. Commander Ford and Bridger both approached, waiting to assist.

"There is a guy down here," Miguel shouted from inside as he lowered himself down inside the mini-sub.

"He looks to be injured, Captain."

Kristen had heard the statement, and now climbed up to the hatch door with Bridger's assistance. She would have to judge whether the person inside needed any medical attention before they moved him safely and without further risk of injury.

Inside the sub, Ortiz was kneeling over a dark-skinned man. There was a gash to his forehead, probably the reason for his unconsciousness he surmised. He looked at the man's limbs without moving them, but could see very few other external marks.

"Looks like he took a knock to the head," Miguel shouted up to Kristen. "I tried getting a response from him, without success."

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Kristen went down the narrow ladder and knelt beside the patient. She could see the head wound, and gently felt down the man's legs and arms. "I think this fellow has been mighty lucky."

"We are bringing him out," Kristen announced to those waiting nearby. "Commander, can you please put two of you at the top of the hatch." The problem with these small subs was that the ladder and hatchway were narrow.

Until this point in time, the reference to NODE 3 had not meant anything to Bridger. He didn't remember the name at all, but as he saw the black man being lowered from the mini-sub, he did recognize the unconscious pilot.

"That's Martin Clemens," he said in surprise. "This man has been aboard the SeaQuest before," he added as Miguel and Kristen climbed out of the sub.

Ford vaguely remembered the name, O'Neill and Ortiz, didn't recall the name too well. Kristen Westphalen looked at Bridger, hoping for him to give more details. She too didn't recognize him straight away.

"He is friends with Lucas," Bridger continued, "They had some special code name for each other, but I can't remember what they were now."

The crew looked to where Lucas had been seen standing by the Moon Pool, only to see the figure of Lucas abruptly turn away and heading down a nearby corridor without a word. His suspicions had been confirmed, and some things just became a whole lot more complicated he told himself.

"That's odd," Bridger commented. "Maybe he didn't hear who I said it was."

"Let's get the man to Med-Bay and see to his head injury. You can go and tell Lucas when we are finished," Kristen suggested. Her two team members carried the injured man on a stretcher.

"We can secure the sub now, Captain. Tomorrow we can access how much damage there might be and if might be possible to repair," Ford informed Nathan.

"Think I will go and find Lucas and tell him who it is," Bridger said walking off towards the corridor.

Whilst Bridger and the crew were moving Clemens, Lucas had returned to his cabin, only to find he couldn't still. He tried to sit at his computer, only to pull his hands away from the keyboard, a million thoughts running through his head. He laid on his bunk and tossed a small foam basketball in his hands, throwing it up at the ceiling and catching it again.

He wasn't afraid of Clemens exactly, though he remembered all too well what had happened. When he had returned to SeaQuest after NODE 3, Martin Clemens had been given a passage back to the main land, but he made a conscious effort to avoid the man and had not seen him when they docked at Pearl Harbour.

Now he was faced with the fact that he had never told Captain Bridger or any of the crew about what had taken place at NODE 3. The past might be coming back to haunt him, in more than one way.

There had been reasons at the time for not telling anybody, and he still remembered what most of them were, or so he tried to convince himself. What he couldn't predict was what would Clemens do. Would the man seek him out on the ship after he had thwarted the man's plans?

Why had Clemens been in that mini-sub? And why was it found so close to the community of Andromeda? Intuition and a gut feeling told Lucas that the answers were not just random or pure coincidence.

Somehow he would have to avoid Mycroft again for however long he was going to be aboard SeaQuest. If he kept to the science labs and his own cabin, then perhaps he could prevent any contact at all. He made a brief mental note to secure all of his personal computers, just in case Clemens had any wild ideas about gaining classified material from the SeaQuest.

Lucas had stopped tossing the basketball and it now lay idly beside him on the bed and he could feel himself growing drowsy, despite the images plaguing his memory.

By now, Bridger was almost to the teenager's small cabin, and once again he could hear loud music coming from within. He thought that Lucas might still be awake and working on his computer like he had been yesterday.

The sudden strange behaviour of Lucas had not gone unnoticed by a few members of the crew. Bridger had said to others that he thought the trip to Andromeda had been the cause, but after watching him for that few moments at the moon pool area, he couldn't be so sure.

Bridger knocked, but didn't hear the "come in" this time, and gently pushed the door open a little further. He was surprised to see the darkened computer screen. Reaching over, he turned off the music that was still playing. The teenager had not heard anyone enter the room, nor notice the lack of noise.

Lucas was lying on his bed, with his face turned towards the aqua tunnel. One foot dangled over the end of the bed, the boy hadn't bothered to change clothes and was sound asleep. Very carefully Bridger removed his sneakers, smiling as he saw no reaction from his efforts. Lucas hadn't gotten much sleep after repairing Ortiz's work station, and his tired body demanded rest.

The teenager rolled onto his side, towards Nathan, his blond hair, hanging over his forehead. Bridger didn't want to wake him, so refrained from brushing it back out of his face, but instead draped the light cover that was on the bed over the sleeping form.

Whatever was bothering Lucas before had been forgotten for now. If he needed to talk about anything, they could do that tomorrow. Bridger crept out of the room, dousing the light as he closed the door.

Kristen caught up with the Captain about an hour later, giving him a report on Clemen's medical condition. "He doesn't have any life threatening injuries. More like some minor abrasions and bruises, and that knock on his head. Probably caused when the sub was bounced about when it got stuck. He hasn't woken up yet, but his vital signs are stable and he is comfortable for the moment."

"Did you tell Lucas about him being aboard?" she now asked.

"No, didn't get the chance. He was sound asleep when I checked on him a while ago," Bridger replied.

"Commander Ford mentioned that he was acting a little odd earlier in the day, but he seems okay to me now."

"A goodnight's rest will do him wonders," Kristen remarked, "I think tomorrow will see our patient much more recovered and probably awake enough to tell us what happened to him."

to be continued ………………………………

Author Notes:

Thank you for continuing to read my stories. I do hope that I can update a little more regualrly this year than I have done so far. My writing time has been next to none for quite a while. But I am still enjoying writing - and have plenty of new ideas running through my head.

For this story - it always bugged me with the NODE 3 episode that the crew and Bridger didn't know about Mycroft's attempt to kill Lucas - so I wanted to rectify that in a story somewhere. The fact that he is black like Commander Ford - works well for some of the themes in this story too.

My ideas about how the crew find about what Mycroft did are totally made up. I wanted to put more into this chapter - but it was getting a little too long - I haven't touched a hair on Lucas yet - which is unusual for me by now in a story LOL.

The next chapter will fix that a little - I have to write Lucas being forced to go back to Andromeda - but still unsure if it will be just be simple gun - or a little more angsty and knocked out - I might attempt a combination of both.

This story will begin to get a little more complicated as it progresses, so that is why there is a fair bit of detail and set up going into this chapter about Andromeda.

I have made a lot of progress on another story which should have its first chapter soon - where I want to write a more complicated story about the friendship between Tony Piccolo and LUcas - from before Tony arrives - through many different events and crisis onboard and off SeaQuest. It will be inspired by a lot of the dialogue and scenes from specific episodes with a healthy addition of my own ideas. I especially want to put a lot of the episode "Siamese Dream" in there - I haven't come up with a title yet - but as soon as its ready - it will be posted.

Other stories have had some work done on them and will be updated as I can.

If you would like to see any ideas - please let me know - I can't promise to use all of them - but will where I can. I do have certain ideas about what I like to put about characters and situations. I only like Seasons 1 and 2 of the show - and to me Season 3 never existed. I like to use Kristen Westphalen - even for Season 2 rather then Wendy Smith - but she will make an appearance in the new Piccolo/Lucas story. I always write ELF stories, so if you are not a fan of that type of stories, these may not be for you. I also do like to explore the idea of a father/son relationship between Bridger and Lucas.

I will try and update my profile page a bit more often this year - telling readers when new chapters and stories have been posted.

Enjoy this little snippet

Jules


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

By JULES6

**Author Notes - some of the dialogue for this chapter comes from different episodes in Season 1. Mainly from **_**Photon Bullet**_** so I could complete the background about Node 3. I did use some lines completely, others I added a word or two and some I took some of them out. **

**I have generalized the hacking that they were doing and make no mention of them getting into the World Bank. I have added a few original scenes too in relation to what happened to Lucas, just adding "what might" have come next.**

**I have also added a scene with dialogue from the episode **_**Higher Power **_**as I had always like the way Lucas got mad about how he was left out. I wanted to use it, and changed it to add into some of the scenes for this story. **

**I have this strange quirk when I write a story to nearly always have Bridger and the others seeing what is happening to Lucas. So when I do things like get them altogether or have them meet up and discuss what they need to do – this is why.**

**I have also included a flashback scene where I have some of the crew remembering what was said – (use of dialogue from the episode) and what they were doing at that particular time. It breaks up the flow of the story a little, but hopefully it will work smoothly enough to make sense – please bear with me.**

**This chapter is quite lengthy.**

**and the story continues…………….**

Bridger thought Lucas would be happy to hear that one of his friends was onboard SeaQuest, if he could find him this morning. He had started at the teenager's room, but found it empty.

The Captain headed down the stairs towards Deck C and saw Ben Krieg coming towards him from the opposite direction. "Lieutenant, have you seen Lucas this morning?"

"No, Sir, I haven't," Krieg replied, trying to pinpoint when he had seen his friend last. "Is there a problem?"

"I just wanted to tell him about Martin Clemens being here, I am sure they have lots to catch up on," Bridger responded. "If you see Lucas, just let him know I am looking for him, please."

"Will do, Sir."

Nathan walked down the stairs, headed towards Med-Bay and Doctor Westphalen. He entered one of the main rooms to find Martin Clemens, not only awake, but chatting quietly with Kristin.

"Well, it's nice to see you up and around so soon, Martin," Bridger said as he neared them.

"Hello again, Captain," Clemens greeted, "Thank you for rescuing me and my sub."

"Mr Clemens has made a remarkable recovery overnight. There is still some slight swelling to the gash on his head, but he has no memory loss or headache," Kristin commented, giving a run-down on the man's latest medical condition.

"Our pleasure, but I am afraid that Commander Ford tells me that your sub faired a little worse than yourself. It's going to be a while before we can get the parts to repair it."

"Damn!" Clemens exclaimed, clenching his fist and punching the mattress of the bed that he was sitting on, unable to disguise his frustration. "I am sorry, Captain, but my work is important to me and any delays are disappointing."

"I am sure it is, Martin, but whatever you're working on can wait a day or two. Normally I would offer you a ride on SeaQuest back to Pearl, but at the moment I have some problems of my own in this area that I need to address," Bridger said, giving Kristin a questioning look at the man's small outburst.

"How about once you have had a chance to shower, I can give you a tour of SeaQuest and after that we can something to eat for lunch. That might help keep you occupied for a few hours," the doctor suggested.

Clemens reminded himself that he couldn't afford to appear ungrateful to the Captain and his crew at this point in time. He might be able to gain some useful information to help his cause. He had been access to a few of the general areas last visit, but had yet to see any of the more important facilities that the SeaQuest was equipped with.

"Excuse me a moment, I will retrieve some clothes for you," Kristen said, walking out of Med-Bay towards the supply area.

"I apologize Captain, I do appreciated what you have done so far," Clemens remarked, looking about the room and realizing what fascinating technology had been afforded to SeaQuest and her crew.

"I tried to find Lucas this morning to let him know you were here. He fell asleep last night before I could mention it to him," Bridger spoke, changing the subject entirely.

"Oh, I forgot that Lucas was aboard," Clemens lied. "He certainly is an impressive young man."

Bridger smiled proudly, "Yes he is. You two must have a lot to talk about."

This was where Clemen's facial expression changed, "You know Nathan, I might have a bit of explaining to do there."

"Oh?" Bridger replied, a little perplexed.

"You see……," he began trying to think of how to put it, "Lucas and I had a bit of a falling out. An argument, so to speak."

"A falling out?" Bridger sounded surprised. "He hasn't mentioned anything before about it." But thinking back to the odd behaviour of the teenager since they had found the mini-sub, it certainly made sense. Lucas had been at the Moon Pool when they pulled Clemens out, and the crew had noticed him walking away.

"Its nothing to worry about, Lucas was pretty mad at me after Node 3. I don't want to put him in an awkward situation and make him feel like he needs to talk to me."

"I don't know what to tell you then Martin, it's not like I can keep your presence on here a secret from Lucas. Most of the other crew members saw you here, and I am sure it will get back to Lucas at some point."

"Who is keeping secrets from whom?" Kristin asked, re-entering the Med-Bay carrying a fresh change of clothes and towels.

"Martin says that Lucas may not be too happy to see him after all," Bridger said, surmising the conversation that had just taken place between them.

"I thought you two were good friends?" Kristin queried.

"Its pretty hard to explain, it wasn't anything Lucas said or did," Clemens admitted. "I just got a little carried away."

"Well, whatever it was, I am sure that Lucas has forgotten about it by now. Node 3 was three years ago and he isn't usually someone to hold a grudge," Bridger stated, defending the teenager, but unaware of what had transpired.

Clemens clammed up a little at this point, not wanting to divulge anymore details. He didn't know how much Lucas had told Bridger or his crew. The puzzled looks on their faces sparked his curiosity greatly.

"I'll take that shower now, doctor, and be grateful for that tour."

Kristin nodded her head in agreement, both her and Bridger watching as the black man slowly walked towards the shower room. Both of them share a look.

"Let me know how the tour goes, I am going to find Lucas," Bridger informed her.

On his way through the maze of SeaQuest's corridors, Nathan ran into Ben Krieg for the second time.

"I found Lucas for you, Captain!" Krieg said as he stopped to talk. "Blew through the Bridge about half an hour ago."

"What was he doing on the Bridge?"

"Like a bear with a sore head, Captain. Snapping at O'Neill, chewing out Ortiz and telling Ford he could shove it," Ben stated matter-of-factly. "Not like him, Sir, to go off at people like that."

"No it's not, Lieutenant," Bridger reluctantly agreed. He was still only gathering the pieces of this puzzle together, but somehow they were not falling into place to tell the whole story.

"What's going on Captain?"

"I wish I knew, Ben. But, I am beginning to not like it."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Ben queried, noting the growing concern of the Captain when Lucas's name was used.

"Nothing for now, I am going to find, Lucas, but keep me informed," Bridger asked, heading off towards Lucas's quarters. "Tell Commander Ford on the Bridge and the others to stay alert."

"Aye, Captain," Ben saluted. When he got to the Bridge, Ford and O'Neill had been mulling over Lucas's bad mood, and were discussing what was bothering him. Ben told them what Bridger had said, but they weren't entirely sure what they needed to be ready for.

Lucas regretted shouting at the crew on the Bridge the way he had, and by the time he had reached the sanctity of his cabin, his anger had all but petered out. Now he was cranky at himself more than anybody else.

He slammed the hatch door in frustration, but didn't realize that it had not fully closed. He wanted to pound his fist against something.

When he had awoken this morning, he just wanted to keep to himself. Hoping that he could avoid any unnecessary questions. He still had too much on his mind about Mycroft, no matter how much he wanted to deny it to himself.

What would he do if Bridger or the crew found out what happened? Would they blame him? Would they take any action against Mycroft? Too many questions were running through his mind, and not enough answers.

He then remembered something, a precaution he had taken those three years ago. At the time he thought that the Captain might find out much earlier what had happened, and part of him also wanted to make sure that he had evidence of what had occurred, in case Mycroft had wanted to deliberately seek him out and cause trouble.

Sitting down at his work desk, Lucas hurriedly tried to make contact with Nick, his friend from Node 3.

Bridger had reached Lucas's room, he was about to knock, but instead heard voices coming from inside. Normally he wouldn't condone listening in on the boy's conversation, but at the same time, he wanted to know what was bothering the teenager.

"_Thank you for choosing Internex" _came the computer greeting.

"_Please enter usercode and password"_

Bridger heard distinct tapping coming from the keyboard, indicating Lucas had done that.

"_Wolfman you lurking around here somewhere?" _came the computer generated voice of Lucas's online identity Frankenstein.

A response came back in the form of a howl, like a wolf.

"_You up for a little game today? _Frankenstein asked.

"_Not after the last time, Frankie, I am still licking my wounds here."_

"_Please, I got some wounds of my own."_

Bridger frowned at this admission from Lucas. Was he speaking metaphorically and meant emotional wounds? Lord knows that over the years the teenager had carried around enough of those.

Lucas's tone of voice now changed to serious, "Nick, I need to talk to you."

From where he was standing, Bridger could see Lucas's computer screen, and the face of another teenager. He had been told about Nick, or _Wolfman _but hadn't met him face to face yet. Lucas seemed to be great friends with him and usually became highly animated when telling the crew about what great things he had done. _Wolfman _had mostly become someone who Lucas confided in outside of the crew.

"What's up."

"SeaQuest rescued a mini-sub last night, guess who was onboard?"

"The Easter Buddy," Nick joked, but stopped the short laugh when he saw the look on his friend's face. "Sorry, Lucas."

Lucas waved his hand, gesturing to his friend not to worry about the bad taste. "Mycroft."

Nick had been taking a sip of a drink, and nearly spat it all over the screen at Lucas when he recognized the name. "Mycroft!"

"Yep," came Lucas's short response.

"Has he seen you yet?"

"No, but he's not stupid, he knows where I live."

"Lucas, you be careful around him. He has a loose wire you know."

"Yeah, I know, but that is partly why I called you. Do you still have that security camera file that we backed up from Node 3?"

"Yes, somewhere in my databank," Nick answered. "You thinking of using it?"

"No…… not really," Lucas stumbled, "Just in case."

"Okay, it is a bit fragmented and skips in a couple of places, so it may take a little while to email them to you. Do you want it to go to your computer?"

"Yes, I am going out for a few minutes now for something to eat, but I will get it when I come back. Make sure you keep the original."

"Where has he been for the last 3 years?"

"I don't know."

"He is nobody to mess with Lucas. I am sending that file now."

"I know, don't worry, I plan to stay out of his way as much as possible."

"You have to tell Bridger what happened."

But Lucas ended the link just as Nick uttered the sentence.

'_You are receiving 1 new email' _the computer chirped. But Lucas could see that the file was rather large and going to take quite a few minutes to download.

Bridger quickly walked back from the doorway a few metres, not wanting the teenager to find out about his eavesdropping. Now he walked up to the door and made some noise so as to announce his presence, "Knock, Knock."

"It's open," Lucas responded, standing up and playing nervously with his shirt tail.

"Hey, glad I caught you," Bridger greeted him, not hinting at any of what he had heard.

"I guess you are wanting some sort of explanation for what happened on the Bridge?" Lucas asked, looking contrite.

"Not really," Bridger replied, "Ben told me that you had given a mouthful to some of the crew."

"I didn't mean it, Captain, I guess I am just over-tired or something. Too much work," Lucas tried to justify, knowing that his apology wasn't worth a pinch of salt now. "I was just headed towards the mess to get a bite to eat."

"I think they would like to hear this from you, Lucas. I am sure that they know you didn't mean it. They had noticed you being a little moody since coming back from Andromeda."

"They have?" Lucas asked curiously, feeling guilty now and casting his gaze towards the floor.

"I came to tell you about the person we found in the mini-sub," Bridger told him, trying to read the teenager's body language.

"Oh?" Lucas answered, trying to sound surprised and a little disinterested. Unfortunately though, Bridger could see a different expression on the teenager's face.

"Martin Clemens," Bridger uttered.

"Mycroft," Lucas said in mock surprise.

"Yes, he took a small knock to the head, but he seems fine this morning. He should be getting a grand tour of the SeaQuest with Kristin right about now."

A few stray thoughts ran through Lucas's mind at this statement, thinking to himself that it was not such a good idea for Mycroft to be allowed so much free access on the SeaQuest. First and foremost Clemens was a hacker, and

Lucas knew first hand what sort of damage he might be able to do to a vessel whose every system, from life-support to basic communication was reliant on some form of computer technology.

By now, he had spent an extended period time living under the ocean, and had designed most of the software for the vessel himself. After some hairy incidents involving people like Marilyn Stark, the SeaQuest couldn't afford not to have a top notch security system. He had always been careful enough to create a complex network of security measures and system checks into his programming.

Bridger frowned a little, seeing the teenager's thoughts ticking over, but about what he couldn't determine.

"Did you want to go and see him now?" Bridger asked plainly.

"Um, you know, Captain, not right now," Lucas stammered, much as Clemens had done in Med-Bay. "I want to go and see Commander Ford on the Bridge about those components he wanted and apologize for acting like a jerk earlier."

"I see," Bridger replied, not sounding too convinced.

Lucas decided it was time for a little of the truth to be told, "Captain, what I mean to say is……… well, Mycroft and I had a disagreement back on Node 3, so I don't think we have all that much in common to talk about anymore."

"Oh, well I am sorry to hear that, Lucas."

"Don't worry about it Captain, I am not and it doesn't matter anymore. I will see you later. I'm headed off to the Bridge now and maybe get some food afterwards."

"I might do that too," Bridger replied, still a little uncertain about Lucas's reaction to Clemens. "Make sure you take your PAL with you, I might need to talk to you later."

Lucas had exited his room before Bridger got a chance to say anything else, picking up his communicator and shoving it the pocket of his baggy jeans as he went out. Bridger was about to leave himself to find Kristen, when the computer chirped again.

"_You have 1 downloaded file."_

_Must be that file that Lucas wanted from Node 3_ Bridger thought to himself.

Twice in one day, Bridger was going to berate himself for being entirely too nosy. He knew that reading Lucas's private email was even worse than listening at the door, but he couldn't help but feel that something was going on, and that he was being left in the dark. There was still a large cloud of mystery surrounding what had happened at Node 3 as far as he was concerned.

Lucas would be gone for a while, but Bridger couldn't help but feel like a rat-fink when he closed the door and sat down at the computer desk. He knew the teenager would be fuming mad at him if he found out as he moved

the mouse towards the file and clicked on _Copy._

Bridger didn't want to risk sitting in the teenager's room to view whatever was on the file, so he used his PAL communicator to hail the Bridge, "Commander Ford."

"Yes, Captain, Sir," Ford responded to his own communicator beeping.

"Commander, I am going to send a file to the Bridge, I have just made a copy of it and want to send it to the Bridge first, and then re-route it to a more secured link in the Ward Room." Hopefully if he did it this way, Lucas wouldn't notice that the file was copied or sent anywhere.

"Aye, Sir," Ford said in acknowledgement to the Captain's request. "Where are you now, Sir?"

"I am in Lucas's room."

Upon hearing this, not only did Commander Ford find the direction odd, but O'Neill and Ortiz were looking at him, all thinking the same thing.

"Lucas's room?" Ford queried out loud.

"I know what you are thinking, Jonathan, and you are right, Lucas isn't going to be too happy with me when he finds out. But right now, I have a moody teenager who is not telling me something and a file that might contain some of the answers. This all has something to do with Martin Clemens being on board I think, and I want to know what it is."

"We won't tell Lucas unless you want us to," Ford said, not liking the idea of keeping secrets from the teenage computer whiz. Lucas didn't get angry very often, most of the time the kid was quite the opposite and kept his emotions and thoughts distant. But this morning, Lucas had proven he still had all the full-blooded raging hormones of any normal seventeen year old, with a short temper to match.

Lucas had become a lot more comfortable talking to the senior crew during his time on SeaQuest, and those few select members couldn't help but like his gentle nature and laugh at his quick wit. The teenager probably didn't realize just how much notice everyone did take of him, or how much he was liked.

"Has he been to the Bridge yet, Commander, he left here a few minutes ago and said he was headed there to apologize for what he said earlier."

"Lucas was here just a few seconds ago, Captain, and did apologize, but he didn't stay long and still looked like he was distracted by something. He said that he was headed to the mess for lunch I think."

"Thank you, I am headed there now myself, to join him, please let me know when the file has been received. I will look at it as soon as I can."

Bridger found Lucas at the mess, gathering a tray for lunch. He grabbed a tray himself joined the line to fill his plate. He watched as Lucas grabbed a juice box and a slice of pizza that didn't look very appetizing.

"Doesn't look like a whole lot on your plate, Lucas," Bridger said from behind.

Lucas had been deep in thought as he walked along, not really taking any notice of what he put on his lunch plate. "Food is food," was the disinterested reply.

Lucas walked towards a vacant table, and didn't object when then Captain asked to sit with him, holding his own tray.

"Something on your mind?"

"No," Lucas declared defensively. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About nothing," Lucas answered vaguely, pushing the small straw into the juice container.

Bridger could see that he wasn't getting any of Lucas's attention, but didn't want to push too much for the boy to become suspicious.

Nathan was about to probe a little more on the subject, but before he could, Kristin and Martin Clemens walked into the mess, ready for their own lunch. The doctor had a small smile on her face, and was chatting idly to the man, looking very pleased to be talking to such an intelligent person.

The conversation stopped, as the air in the room filled with tension. Clemens looked over and spotted the blond teenager, but didn't say anything to him.

Lucas on the other hand had stood up, and glared back at the man intensely, his hand gripping the table quite tightly. It was as if both of them were waiting for the other to say something first. Bridger and Kristen exchanged concerned looks.

"I am going to the science labs," the teenager informed them. In his haste to leave the room, he had forgotten all about the file that he was waiting to finish uploading from Nick.

"But you haven't eaten anything," Bridger challenged, "Not that you have much on your plate to begin with."

"Suddenly I have lost my appetite…………," Lucas commented unable to disguise just how much he didn't want to be in the same room as Clemens.

Mycroft watched the youth leave through an opposite door, noting his immediate distrust.

"I am sorry, Captain and Kristin, I didn't know he was going to be here. I didn't mean for him to skip a meal because of my presence."

Bridger was beginning to become annoyed at not finding out was going on. "Skipping meals is something Lucas does more regularly than I would like to tell you, Martin. Don't take it personally."

"Thank you for the tour, doctor, the SeaQuest is a mighty achievement," Clemens complimented. "Right now I think I will return to Med-Bay and try to catch some sleep." Mycroft knew that he had to confront Lucas.

Bridger and Kristin watched Clemens walked back the way he had just come from the tour. Both of them looked down at Lucas's uneaten lunch tray. Something was definitely not right between these two.

"Just exactly how '_bad' _was this falling out," Kristen whispered.

"Come with me and we will both find out together."

As he and Kristin walked towards the Ward Room, Bridger contacted Ford on his communicator, "Commander, do you have that file ready?" The doctor gave him a puzzled look, but followed him.

"All ready, Sir," Ford announced, "I was just about to page you."

"Tell Commander Hitchcock that she has the Bridge please, and then I want to meet with you, Ortiz, O'Neill and Lieutenant Krieg in the Ward Room."

"Is everything alright, Captain?"

"I don't know," came the brief reply, but the determination in Bridger's voice was unmistakable. In the back of his mind, Nick's idle comments were beginning to play over and over, '_Lucas, you be careful around him. He has a loose wire you know.'_

Within a few minutes, the crew members that Bridger had asked for were seated at the Ward Room table. They had been talking idly amongst themselves for a few moments about why the Captain wanted them, and something involving Lucas.

Bridger spoke first, telling them what he wanted to do. "I am sure that you are aware of Lucas's odd behaviour lately. Martin Clemens told us today it was because he and Lucas had an argument. Lucas seemed to confirm that when I spoke with him earlier."

"But after this morning, Kristin and I have becoming increasingly worried that there is something more than a mere disagreement. Lucas stormed out of the lunch room a short time ago, headed for the science labs. I know he spends a lot of time down there normally, but right now I think it is because he is trying his best possible to avoid this Mycroft."

"Why?" Ben Krieg piped in.

"That's what I intend to find out here now with you all. Lucas received a file earlier that I think will answer our concerns. I asked Commander Ford to re-route a copy of the file that I made earlier. I know Lucas isn't going to be thrilled."

"Before we go any further, Tim, can you trace the signal of Lucas's PAL communicator and tell where he is now?"

O'Neill pressed a few buttons on the console sitting in the centre of the table, "Yes, Sir." The crew members waited for the results. "He is in Science Lab 5."

"That's right at the back of the boat," Ortiz mentioned, running through a map of the SeaQuest in his head and pinpointing where it was located.

"Like I said, trying to avoid him…," Bridger repeated, knowing that this was one of Lucas's defensive ploys. If he was going to avoid someone here on SeaQuest, of course the youth would choose somewhere as far out of the way as possible. Nathan could sense Lucas building up barricades around himself again when they had made so much progress up to now to knocking them down and gaining the teenager's trust.

"There are security cameras all over that area, let me see if I can find the right one," Tim informed the group, pressing a different set of buttons on the console.

"Bring up the image on this screen here," Bridger directed. "We can view this file on the second screen beside it there."

The crew watched as Tim linked to the security camera loop and tried to find the correct signal. Within a few minutes, they could clearly see the images being relayed back from Science Lab 5.

Lucas could be seen sitting at a large narrow work bench that took up about 60 percent of the room. Along the walls of the laboratory they could see the other work surfaces, scientific equipment and measuring tools that were commonplace. The teenager had no idea that he was being watched. The fibre optic surveillance camera complete with microphone was located up in the right hand corner above and behind him.

Bridger relaxed slightly upon seeing the teenager safe. He noted the boy hunched over an electron microscope, his blond hair in the way. Every now and then Lucas would mutter something and then scribble on a notebook laying beside him.

Perhaps they had jumped to too many conclusions about Clemens and were being way too over-protective, Bridger began to think to himself. He now focused everyone's attention back to the second screen, clicking on the _open _button of the copied file.

The footage began and showed the inside of a building. Up on one of the interior walls, there was the some large white lettering, identify a company name; _NODE 3_

"Isn't that the place where we took Lucas to a few years ago," Krieg spoke up, recognizing the images they were watching.

"Yes, Ben. Lucas asked his friend Nick to send him footage of the security cameras from there that they saved."

Ford recognized how the lettering matched what they had identified yesterday on the damaged mini-sub.

"Why would they have wanted to save the security footage," O'Neill asked, sounding puzzled.

"The video is fragmented, and we are getting a slow upload," Ortiz informed them. "This doesn't look to be all of the footage, just some of it."

"It is difficult to know which day of his visit this is," Krieg commented.

The images they could see were of a few teenage kids, sitting at computer consoles, tapping away. Lucas appeared to be sitting closer to the front, with his friend Nick to the left and a pretty girl behind him to the right.

What the crew in the Ward Room were yet to learn was that the series of events following, would stay with each of them for a long time.

The footage showed Martin Clemens also sitting at a computer console, highly agitated.

Lucas was speaking softly into a headset to one of his friends, but the crew couldn't hear what was being said. He did give a little more volume the next sentence, "Yeah, and then what? I'm going stop it."

Now Lucas could be seen tapping at the keyboard at a feverish pace, with Mycroft standing in front of the group of kids, and a large screen covering the majority of the back wall of the room. Bridger and his team could see a map of the world and neon flashes of light moving across it, seemingly in direct response to whatever the teenager was doing.

Martin Clemens laughed triumphantly, "The World Superhighway and Data Network, fully trapped . . . mine," but just as the words left his lips, the main computer screen behind him went totally blank.

"What!" Clemens shouted in rage.

"I shut down the Node." Lucas declared in a loud voice.

"Put us back online NOW!," Mycroft demanded angrily, slamming his fists down on the table for emphasis, scarcely able to believe that the boy had somehow managed thwarted his efforts when he was so close to victory.

"No, no, what you are doing is totally wrong and irresponsible," Lucas shouted hotly back in refusal.

"We're on the doorstep of global synchronicity," pointing his finger menacingly at Lucas. "You can't stop me. I will not fail!" Clemens yelled, pushing one of the other kids away from their console roughly, and sitting down, trying to counteract whatever measures Lucas had taken. "I've been here before."

"Yeah, and killed a man," Lucas accused with contempt, not stopping his hands on the keyboard. This statement shocked all seated at the Ward Room table. Mycroft might have been considered a bit eccentric or even obsessive, but they didn't know anything about him killing someone.

"I made a mistake," Clemens cried in his own defence.

"Some mistake," Lucas chuffed with sarcasm. "You're doing it all over again. I am not totally nuts like you? You are affecting millions of lives, real people's lives. This isn't some game on the Internex where you see every consequence in neat 3-D graphics."

"I'm destroying war, corruption; I'm ripping the heart out of greed."

"You can't do that by changing numbers. These things won't go away until we get to know each other, one by one, face to face. You said it yourself Clemens, it hurts in here," Lucas pointed to his chest. This is where you have to make it better."

The crew watching the footage couldn't be more proud about the broken speech of tolerance that Lucas was giving. Until now they were didn't realize just how good an understanding the teenager had on some of the more complex issues facing the U.E.O. Some of the real humanitarian reasons the SeaQuest was brought into commission in the first place.

"You're only a child; you've never felt pain. I took a life," Clemens patronized.

'_How little you know about Lucas', _Bridger thought to himself at such a statement.

"And I'm not going to let you take any more," Lucas exclaimed, his hands flying over the keyboard at a dizzying speed. Just as he finished the last keystroke, the main screen went blank again, the flickering signals of the map stopped.

"NO! NO!" Clemens roared in anger, jumping out of his chair and charging at Lucas.

The SeaQuest crew watched in horror as Mycroft roughly grabbed the teenager by his shirt and pulled him from the console's chair. The man was furious, and instantly wrapped his right hand around Lucas's slender neck before he was able to defend himself.

Bridger jumped to his feet, as did Krieg, briefly forgetting that they were watching what had already taken place several years ago. "That animal," Nathan seethed in outrage, as he could see Clemens digging his fingers into the boy's soft skin, and trying to choke Lucas.

Kristen's hand flew to her mouth, shocked at what she was seeing. Commander Ford, Ortiz and O'Neill were equally disturbed by the images of Lucas being man-handled.

Juliana and Nick could be heard shouting at Mycroft to let their friend go, but he just ignored their pleas.

Lucas was clearly scared and frightened, but fighting back and trying to claw at the man's hand to release the grip. It looked like he was trying to scream at Mycroft to let him go, but with the hand around his throat, his airway was restricted. He was in danger of passing out, his eyes squeezed shut as he fought to get oxygen into his lungs.

Without warning, Nick took a running dive at Mycroft, knocking him to the floor with an almighty shove. Lucas coughed harshly a number of times, collapsing weakly into the chair behind him, his hand reaching to his throat that felt like it was on fire.

Juliana was beside him, offering a glass of water, which he gratefully accepted. The coolness of the water helped briefly, but he looked back still visibly shaken, at Mycroft who was pulling himself up off the floor.

Although much shorter in height, Nick stepped in stood boldly between Clemens and in front of Lucas, determined to protect his friend if Mycroft tried to attack him again.

It was at this point that the image began to break up and the pixels losing focus and turning to noisy static. By the time the frame cleared a few moments later, the area of Node 3 that the security camera was showing had now changed. Bridger and Commander Ford now watched themselves walk through the loading dock, ready to pick up Lucas.

The teenager was saying goodbye to his friends, and everything looked to be going smooth enough, until Doctor Westphalen used her keen senses.

"He is not using his voice," Kristin pointed out plainly, "See, he is giving everyone a handshake and nodding, but not speaking very much."

"What sort of injuries might he have sustained?" O'Neill queried.

"That shirt he is wearing is probably hiding most of them. "That red one has a wide neck band on it. He probably suffered some visible bruising to the skin and was trying to keep it hidden."

"He never mentioned anything the whole time we were there," Krieg commented. On a couple of occasions, the teenager appeared to give a forced smile to a few of the kids as he prepared to leave. Now that they looked a little more closely at the footage, in hindsight he was probably grimacing from the discomfort of a sore throat.

Kristin and Bridger were thinking similarly to Ben, but didn't voice their assumptions out loud. Slightly darkened shadows under his pale blue eyes indicated that he had not slept very well after the incident.

"That is me telling Lucas that he had been granted a salary," Ford said as they watched him talk to the teenager before getting into the launch. "He seemed very happy at the time."

"I don't know how he did it, but shutting down Node 3…….. I have never heard of that being done before," Tim told the group. "That network is one of the most sophisticated on the planet and almost impossible to hack."

"Almost," Miguel said, referring to what they had seen Lucas do with the computers and how he had stopped Clemens from gaining access to the critical data.

Bridger could see himself offering Clemens passage back on the SeaQuest and thanking him for taking such good care of the teenager. At the time, they had never realized just how fake the politeness looked or felt. Mycroft was smiling and chatting to Ford, as though nothing had ever happened.

_How could they have been so blind_ each of the crew was thinking, but in all honesty, there had been nothing out of place or unusual enough then to become alarmed at. They had no reason to suspect that something was very wrong.

The footage of the security camera ended. The crew members in the room briefly sat back, trying to take it all in. Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Lucas's voice coming from Science Lab 5.

"Lucas play," came the chirp through the vocorder, Darwin clearly visible through the aqua tube.

Lucas looked up and gave a brief smile to the mammal, getting up from the table and putting his hand on the tube's clear thick outer wall. "Hey, Darwin," he greeted the dolphin.

"Lucas play," Darwin chirped again.

"Not right now fish-face," Lucas said, the smile on his face fading, and his mood darkening, "I don't think I would be very good company today."

"Lucas sad."

"No, not sad exactly," Lucas told the animal. "Just wanting to be left alone for a while," his mind full of questions and his emotions difficult to describe at the moment.

Lucas turned away from the dolphin and tried to return to what he was doing, but he found himself fidgeting and squirming about on the chair, his thoughts constantly wandering.

Bridger had heard Lucas's private admission and couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion of his own. Especially after what they had just seen on the footage. Inwardly he was kicking himself harder than anybody else present. Nathan had always reminded Lucas that he could come to him with any problem.

Ben voiced exactly what they were all thinking, "Why didn't he tell anybody, Captain?"

The crew members sitting at the table knew that a good part of the answer to that question came from a day they vividly remembered on SeaQuest, three years ago. The day before Lucas was invited to Node 3 and one they wished many times that they could have taken back.

"Probably because he thought he couldn't confide in us back then," Ford offered, recalling the expression on the teenager's face as if it were yesterday.

Back then, those currently at the table were just beginning to get to know Lucas and find out more about him. To find themselves astonished at the teenager's natural intuition to problem solving abilities, and amazed by his knowledge for someone so young. They had acted unsure and uncertain around him at times, when mostly what he sought was friendship.

At that time, Lucas had felt vulnerable and insecure on SeaQuest. On the one hand, he was trying to impress everybody and earn their respect, but unfortunately without realizing it, they had been shutting him out and making him feel unwanted and unappreciated. The boy was trying to prove that at fourteen he was very independent, despite being the youngest crew member.

"I only found out about what happened on the Bridge that day afterwards, Krieg commented. "Lucas didn't want to talk about it at all for days."

Kristin knew she had been away for approximately two weeks from SeaQuest when Lucas went to Node 3, and hadn't returned until the vessel docked at Pearl. She had been away teaching a small group of chemists at special request.

_**flashback to that day:**_

**(Brief Author Note – the words in italics are what was spoken. The rest is interpretation of what they were thinking during that time. See earlier notes at beginning of chapter.)**

Miguel spoke first, "I was talking to Levin _"and Levin, and I need you to record" — _I guess at the time, he really wasn't doing any harm, but I didn't know he was supposed to be on the Bridge and told him to get out of the way, _"Lucas!" __You're, you're distracting me, alright." _I turned my attention back to Joshua, and didn't see Lucas walk away.

Ford continued, "I saw him bump into Katie, just before he and I got tangled up on the stairs. He mumbled sorry and I said excuse me before he walked over to the other set of stairs."

"I asked him what he was doing. I had a problem with my station and was distracted," Tim O'Neill added, "I didn't mean to be so short with him."

"We were having continual computer glitches that day with a number of stations, like Tim said, I was talking to Ensign Cooper," "_Well, if it goes down again, try rerouting the system, you never know." _"There were a lot of people on the Bridge that day, and Lucas bumped into Katie again. He must have walked back to the navigation table, because that is where we crossed paths again," Ford explained further.

"I told him to stand by behind the pool. I guess he was ticked off at being pushed and shoved around and ignored by then," Ford offered in defence. "A few minutes later I saw him walking off the Bridge."

"Crocker told me later that he had chewed the kid out over some security program that wasn't finished on time," Krieg remarked. "Lucas didn't take the jibe at his computer skills too well, and told him a few choice words."

"That must have been just before I saw him walking towards me," Bridger remembered.

It had been quite a long time ago, and he hadn't thought about it very much. He couldn't exactly put a finger on when things had changed and gradually become better. But it was much different now. Lucas was not only liked and respected by the crew, but they had become his family and cared a whole lot for him. His youthful exuberance, and at times bouncing energy wore off on them all in a positive way.

Kristin had not voiced any judgment or opinion, but quickly made the assessment that Lucas must have been feeling quite isolated by the Bridge crew. It probably wasn't just this particular day, but a culmination and gradual snowballing effect that caused everything to come to a head.

"I made him come back to the Bridge that day," Bridger recalled, "When we got that priority message for some OLA/5 modules, and the request from Mycroft for Lucas to go to Node 3."

"_Oh, I see, so as soon as there's a computer problem I'm back in __favour__. Well I'm not going and you can't make me. There are such things as child __labour__ laws you know."_

Kristin listened as Nathan continued to talk. "The next minute, he just got mad. Telling me that he wasn't going and that I couldn't make him. When I asked him where the anger was coming from, he just got more hot under the collar."

"_I want to get paid. Everyone else gets paid, why shouldn't I? What's wrong with that? And I don't want an allowance, I want a salary. I'm the one that keeps everything running."_

At the time, the bold statement had sounded ridiculous, but after all the effort that Lucas had put into the SeaQuest's computer system since then, the crew realized just how accurate it had been.

"_Take it easy, Lucas," _Bridger had tried to calm the teenager's sudden tirade, but Lucas's temper finally let go with an explosion of exasperation and frustration that had he could no longer hold back.

"_No I am not going to take it easy! When do I get a chance to be heard? What's wrong with everyone listening to what I have to say for a change and asking what I want." _

"_I have needs too. But everyone is always too busy to care."_

"_The Science Department's needs are more important than my needs," Lucas shouted._

"_SeaQuest's cause to explore the ocean floor is more important than my needs._

"_My miserable father's greed to make World Power a global billion dollar empire has always been more important than my needs."_

"_Stand over there, Lucas!"_

"_Get out of the way, Lucas!"_

"_Stand in line and take a number, Lucas …… we will get to you."_

"_What about me?"_

By the time he had finished, the boy's handsome young face was red from a mixture of anger and tears of frustration. Ford and the other crew members had been absolutely stunned by the outburst and had no idea that Lucas felt so trapped and left out. They couldn't help but feel overwhelmed about emotional torment that teenager had been putting himself through.

Bridger felt as though he had been physically struck, the anger coming from the boy had been so raw.

Lucas had run from the Bridge, the tidal wave of emotion ebbing from him. That night, he had locked his cabin door for the first time since arriving on SeaQuest. He had ignored all attempts from Ben Krieg to come out and talk, and Bridger's knocks and pounding on the door.

_**end of flashback:**_

A few moments earlier, Mycroft had been searching the various rooms of the SeaQuest, determined to talk to Lucas. It took more than 20 minutes to come down one of the corridors in the Science Department and notice the lights on in one particular room.

"What are we going to do, Nathan?" Westphalen asked. Now that they knew what had occurred, they had to work out a strategy for fixing the damage.

Kristin's simple question, brought an end to Bridger and the crew's trip down memory lane.

The Captain brought him back to the present and what he needed to do urgently, grabbing his PAL communicator.

"Give Clemens his just deserts first."

"Chief Shan, and Chief Crocker to the Ward Room, immediately!"

The security officer's didn't disappoint and responded to the Captain's page, armed and ready as they had been trained to do.

"I want Martin Clemens found immediately and arrested………….," but before he could finish his orders to the two men, the Captain's attention was drawn back to Science Lab 5.

Mycroft had come into view on the security camera, "Time to stop avoiding me, Lucas."

Lucas had not heard anyone approach the room, and jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the man in the doorway, but managed to maintain his composure. He had been trying to avoid a meeting just such as this, but he wasn't about to let the man intimidate him. He wasn't fourteen anymore.

The crew in the Ward Room realized that the situation had just become a little more precarious. Bridger hadn't factored that Clemens would deliberately go looking for Lucas. Earlier in the day the man had seemed resigned to the fact that the teenager wanted nothing to do with him.

That assumption had changed dramatically now, and Science Lab 5 was at the rear of the boat, and a good distance from the crew and security team were standing now.

Shan and Crocker waited to seek orders from Bridger about how he wanted them to proceed now. They were aware that the lab had two doorways, the first where Mycroft was standing, and a second one that adjoined onto Science Lab 4 behind the teenager.

"Captain, we should wait until Clemens leaves before arresting him," Ford said as they watched the video screen. "Defuse the situation and not provoke him," knowing that Bridger would find it difficult to not do anything.

Nathan had heard the Commander's suggestion, and knew that Jonathan used a cool head when it came to dealing with situations such as this. At the same time, he also knew that they didn't want to give any reason for Clemens to do something rash and put Lucas in danger, if he was confronted.

"Two minutes, and no more, Jonathan," Bridger agreed reluctantly. "And then I want him taken to the Brig."

Ford nodded at the Captain's conditions, telling the security team to remain where they were until Clemens left the room. "Be ready to go,"

Kristin stood up and joined the Captain as the group of eight people watched the video screen. She too was concerned for the boy's safety, but didn't want to see Lucas put at any risk.

Krieg, Tim and Miguel remained seated for now, but alert and ready to help the security team if the need arose.

"What makes you think I am avoiding you?" The teenager's voice was calm as he looked up from his work, closing the notebook and looking defiantly back at Clemens.

"You left lunch in an awful hurry today," Clemens taunted, taking a few more paces into the room.

The large narrow work bench stood as a barrier between Mycroft and the teenager as Lucas stood up from his chair and instinctively took a few paces backwards.

"I don't usually like to eat in the company of a killer." Lucas retorted with a smug expression at the scowl on the man's face. He knew Mycroft objected strongly to that label.

"I told you before, I am not like that! That was a mistake in my past."

"And was I supposed to be one of your mistakes too?" Lucas spat bitterly.

"No, Lucas, I never meant to do that to you. I just lost control that day on Node 3. I haven't laid a hand on anybody since then."

"Oh that's nice to know," Lucas's voice dripping with sarcasm. "Sorry, but I haven't forgotten that you almost choked me that day." He was seventeen now, quite a bit taller, but determined to face up to the man if that is what he wanted.

"You have every right to be angry at me, Lucas." Clemens sat on a stool at the work bench.

The teenager remained standing on the opposite side, wanting to find out why the man was here now, making a poor effort at admitting his costly mistake.

"Where did you disappear to?"

Mycroft was prepared to answer the boy's questions with a limited amount of truth, "Mostly just here and there, hiding away for two years.

"What about for the last year?"

"I have been helping a new group of people to help save themselves against greed and corruption."

"Uh-huh," Lucas scoffed, "Where have I heard that before?"

Clemens found himself changing the subject slightly, and wanting to ask a different set of questions. He was hoping that the kid would relax enough to hear out his flimsy offer.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone what happened? Here I was thinking that any day now, the mighty Captain Bridger would be beating down my door and tearing me to pieces for what I did. For almost two years, I was always looking over my shoulder."

The crew in the Ward Room, held their breath, thinking that the teenager would clam up about the whole incident like he had with them. They were a little surprised at how forthcoming Lucas was with answering the question.

"How do you know that I didn't?"

"Because if you had, then I would have expected to wake up this morning in the Brig and in handcuffs," Mycroft answered with a slight sense of satisfaction at catching the boy off-guard.

Lucas sensed that the look on his face said it all. Mycroft had gotten to know him a little more at Node 3 than he was willing to admit. He had carrying a fair amount of emotional baggage at the time.

"When we got back here from Node 3, there were a lot of other things happening. Nobody asked any questions, so I figured they didn't need to know," he replied honestly. "I had a sore throat for a few days, and the bruises finally faded after about a week and a half."

Bridger was appalled to hear Lucas's justification for not telling them. The boy must have been in some pain. Yes they had been busy like the teenager revealed to Clemens, but never too busy that he should have thought himself unimportant.

"It's such a waste that you are here, Lucas. You have the most incredible mind, and its staggering that they don't see or comprehend that enough. And if they do, then they certainly don't allow you to reach the full potential that you should."

"They take care of me, things are a little better than they were three years ago," Lucas told him, not wanting to divulge just how close he had come to some members of the crew, and Bridger.

"Well I am glad to hear that. I know you have been working on some pretty amazing new projects lately."

This statement came as a complete shock to Lucas, thinking that most of his work was classified. Hell some of it he hadn't even told the Captain about yet.

Mycroft saw the indignant look and resentment, "Lucas, you forget, I am a hacker. It's what we do. There's nothing more exciting."

"That doesn't give you the right to spy on me!"

Silently, Bridger hoped that he wouldn't receive a similar look from Lucas about the file that he had accessed without permission first.

"Don't worry, I haven't been telling tales out of school or been able to see the more complex programming and design ideas that you have been working on. You are too good at keeping your secrets wrapped tightly to find out anymore than that."

"What are you doing here on SeaQuest?"

In the Ward Room, the security team and Bridger's crew listened and remained vigilant, having little choice than to watch the exchange for more than two minutes.

"Rescued by your Captain actually, my mini-sub was damaged when I tried to climb a reef. I can't afford to be here much longer, I am needed back there."

"Where is this group?"

"Andromeda."

"Andromeda! We just came back from there yesterday before we spotted your sub."

"You have been there then," Mycroft said in surprise, silently thinking that the offer to the boy might just work more in his favour now.

"Yes, but I was glad to get out of there."

"Did you get an eyeful of the technology that they have developed and using over there."

"Yes and it some of the most advanced I have ever seen. Somehow they have it all hooked into one giant main frame," Lucas responded, falling into his natural role as Chief Computer Analyst. He couldn't deny the spark of excitement when he first saw that room. "They got all high and mighty over there when I asked them about the maintenance for a facility like that."

"I suspect they would have. Cavanagh secretly rules that community with an iron fist, Lucas. Anybody that speaks up or tries to challenge the Council is silenced. He shakes their hand in public and makes all sorts of outlandish promises, but then behind closed doors he uses his influence to take their homes, families and their businesses. That computer system is how he makes sure they are doing what he tells them," Mycroft explained.

"That is why I am helping this group of people. We don't have much to work with, but without help, these people don't have much of a future to look forward to," he added, hoping that his description would appeal to Lucas's sensitive nature.

"How did you get in, I thought it was by invitation only?"

"That's not important right now, but what I have to tell you now is."

Lucas looked at the man skeptically and with suspicion.

"I want you to come back with me, Lucas." Mycroft had idly picked up a black long handled flashlight that had been laying on the work bench nearby. He was fiddling with the on/off switch as he spoke.

"You have got to be kidding me!" the teenager uttered in disbelief. "You really must have rocks in your head."

Lucas hadn't heard the outraged shouts of 'No' coming from the Ward Room at exactly the same time. Bridger could scarcely believe that Mycroft had the gall to ask for any help from the teenager after attacking him.

"I need your help, Lucas. You are probably the only other one apart from me that is capable of hacking into that mainframe and helping those people."

"Here you are again," Lucas shouted, his temper beginning to flair at the man's insatiable attitude for getting involved where he shouldn't be. 'Don't you learn too good or something? This is how you were back on Node 3. Thinking you had the magic touch to save the world, when it didn't need rescuing in the first place."

Clemens was becoming more animated as he spoke, "It's unfair how these people are being treated, Lucas. Call it Hacker's pride or whatever you want but maybe that is why I snapped like I did back then. Afraid to admit for the first time that I wasn't the best anymore after seeing your skills."

"The whole world is unfair, Mycroft. I know, I have been there, and it sucks sometimes. But you can't just meddle with other people's lives." The teenager ignored any comments about his hacking abilities at Node 3 being likened to some sort of twisted competition to see who was the best.

Clemens got off the stool now, noting that the teenager was walking around the work bench. Somehow he had to convince the teenager that what he was doing was justified. He still held the flash light in his hand.

Lucas was still annoyed and didn't want to continue any discussion with Mycroft about the affects of making changes on a huge scale that only benefited a select few. He was beginning to make his way to the doorway where Mycroft had come in.

"Get ready to move now," Ford told the security team, thinking they could apprehend Mycroft without incident if they were quick enough. "Lucas should be out of that room in a minute"

Bridger and the others certainly didn't need any further encouragement and headed out the door of the Ward Room, leaving the surveillance video running on the screen.

"Crocker, when you get there, you and Shan cover that first door, we will cut off the other one," Krieg cautioned as they ran along the corridor. A few more turns and they would have to descend two flights of stairs and head down another corridor to reach Science Lab 5.

Mycroft's demeanor had changed, annoyed that he had not been able to sway the teenager.

Lucas was now standing beneath the doorway, Clemens had made a grab at the boy's arm, "Come back with me, Lucas," he asked on final last time.

"Do I really look that stupid to you?" Lucas asked incredulously, staring directly back at him.

It was right at that moment, seeing the defiant blue eyes, realizing that the boy had lost respect for him a long time ago. He wasn't going to be able to convince Lucas to come back with him to Andromeda.

"No!" Lucas yelled pulling free of the man's grip. "You really haven't changed have you," he added with disgust."

Mycroft had forgotten all about the flash light being in his hand, but had felt a surge of anger run through him at the boy's casual dismissal and rebellious attitude.

Lucas was about to take a step out into the corridor away from the man, but glanced back briefly in time to feel something strike him hard on his left temple. He gave a small cry of pain and collapsed to the floor unconscious.

For a brief moment, Mycroft panicked at the boy lying in an untidy heap on the floor at his feet, a small trickle of blood running down the side of Lucas's face. He had not meant to strike the boy at all, and certainly not hit him with any object.

That didn't help matters now though, and Clemens knew he had to act fast. He needed to get off SeaQuest and fast. It wouldn't take long for any of the crew or Bridger to find out what he had done. Stealing one of the launches was the best solution, but perhaps there was merit to his actions he told himself, looking down at the injured teenager.

Mycroft had to find a hiding place for Lucas until he could secure the launch without Bridger interfering. An idea suddenly came to him …………………

to be continued ……………..

Author Notes:

Sorry – but the chapter was getting too long – and there was a fair bit more to go yet. I have no intentions of just having Mycroft dump Lucas in a launch – that would be too simple – and not like me at all. LOL

Chapter 4 is well on the way to being completed – will be updated very soon.

Are you liking this ??? Lots and lots of nice little "poor little Lucas" moments in the next chapter – which is why I wanted to start a new one. Have decided not to have him carted off unconscious – that is too easy – need some more drama involving the rest of the crew as well.

Please keep reading.

On other stories – I will keep readers informed as best I can about which stories will be updated next on my profile page. I also intend to rewrite and fix up a few of the older finished stories and update those that are incomplete – these will also be noted there in case you are wanting to keep an eye out.

Some of my other stories need spelling fixed and grammar, I cringe at my earlier writing attempts sometimes. But there will also be some adding and deleting of the story content – so please feel free to read any of those to see what changes I have made.

I still have lots of ideas coming some of which I have written down on my profile page, but others are still being worked out. I really want to bring back people like Stark and especially Rubin Zeller, but have yet to work the right story around them.

Okay Okay, I am going back to write – I know I didn't do much to Lucas in this chapter either.

JULES


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

by JULES

The Security team and Bridger's party had run from the Ward Room towards the Science Department with all haste. As they climbed the last set of stairs, Chief Shan gestured with his hand that they should make a quieter approach into the last corridor. They didn't want to give Clemens any forewarning before he was arrested.

Shan and Crocker split from the main group, intending to take the first door into the laboratory. Krieg and the others made their way to the second door.

A curt nod from Crocker that they were in position, and the two groups burst through both door simultaneously, the Security Team with weapons in their hands, set to stun only.

All were stunned when before them stood and empty room.

"Where did he go to, Cap?" Crocker asked Bridger, scratching his head a little.

"He must have left the room while we were getting here," Ben Krieg replied before Nathan had the chance.

"He couldn't have just vanished, he must have taken one of the other corridors," Commander Ford suggested.

Bridger was looking around the room, surprised as much as everybody else that Clemens wasn't anywhere in plain sight. But then he spotted something he thought peculiar, "Lucas left his notebook behind," he commented, walking

around the long work bench and picking up the small book they had seen the teenager writing in a short time ago.

Kristin had thought it odd too and made a remark to that affect, "Not like him to go leaving his work lying about."

"Let's focus on Clemens for a minute," Ford said, redirecting the conversation. "We can start searching for him, but Captain, shouldn't we be taking other precautions?"

Bridger could hear the _"by the manual"_ tone in Ford's voice, and recognized that they had a situation that needed addressing. He was worried about Lucas, but also mindful that there were many other crew members aboard.

"Contact Commander Hitchcock on the Bridger, Commander. Stage 1 precautions at this stage."

Ford nodded and pulled out his PAL communicator, "Katie, this is Ford, I need you to lock down the Bridge immediately."

"Aye, Commander," Katie responded, knowing what her professional responsibilities were. "What is the problem, Sir?"

"Clemens is to be arrested and taken to the Brig, but he slipped away on us. Do what you have to Hitchcock, I will keep you informed. Do not allow any access to the Bridge until you received further instructions from either myself or the Captain."

"Aye, Sir," Hitchcock obeyed. "Carrying out lock down of Bridge, all stations secure, and communication lines suspended." A short bell rang and then a siren could be heard through the communicator signaling that Bridge doors were being sealed and the correct precautions had been put in place.

"Commander, lets all get to Deck C where the Moon Pool is. We can use the schematic of the SeaQuest there to co-ordinate our efforts and split into groups to find Clemens faster," Bridger ordered.

When they had left the Ward Room, they all had assumed that Lucas had gone back to his own cabin, or another part of the boat. They thought they had seen the teenager leaving the room on the surveillance camera.

They were unaware of the pair of brown eyes watching them as they made their new plan. Mycroft knew that the only opportunity he was going get just presented itself. He had already been concerned about how to get past Bridger and his men.

Clemens waited until he could hear footsteps no longer, and slid back the grate panel in the floor. He knew he had to be careful not to be found. At the moment, the small area offered the perfect place to hide the Lucas until he could come back for him.

Mycroft looked down with a slight worried crease on his forehead. The boy was still unconscious and had only made an audible moan when dragged to this hiding place. His colour was good, but not great. Surely he would so some improved signs of waking up when he returned from loading the supplies on the launch.

"Lucas, can you hear me?" Clemens asked, tapping the young man's face trying to evoke a response. "Lucas?" but the teenager laid still.

Clemens climbed out, putting the panel back in place. He quickly located a computer terminal in Science Lab 5, and began looking at information on the security features of the SeaQuest.

Mycroft crept along the corridors, watchful for any of Bridger's crew who might spot him. He had only taken a few minutes to find out what he needed from the computer. He approached from the corridor leading from the MagLev to the Bridge.

Bridger was pointing to a large interior map of SeaQuest and giving his instructions for the search. "Jonathan, you take 2 men, and cover this area of the boat, from the Bridge back to the launch bay."

"Kristin, you take Ben and Miguel and work back from the Science Department to the crew quarters. Don't leave any rooms unchecked."

From his vantage point, Mycroft could see that the area was divided. On the far side, there was a large tank fill with water. Doctor Westphalen had told him that it was called the Moon Pool and where Bridger's pet dolphin frequented.

Along wall before the Moon Pool, was a communication station designed to monitor and manage the arrival and departure of launches, sea crabs and various other transport belonging to the SeaQuest. This station would largely involved in his quest to gain a launch and take it back to Andromeda.

A small staircase was located near to the pool, leading down to a much larger decked where Bridger and his men were gathered formulating a search for him.

Clemens knew that he had to make his move now.

Chief Shan thought he had heard a noise, and turned in that direction, and gasped as he saw the figure of Martin Clemens sneaking across the decking near the Moon Pool, "Stop right there!" he demanded.

Bridger and the others had all turned at the sound of Shan's voice, and were equally surprised to see Mycroft.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Before any of the Security Team could react, Clemens reached a central column and took a small remote control panel from its sleeve. He pressed a series of buttons on the control and watched as a series of electrically charged beams erupted into shield.

Commander Ford and the Security Team jumped back a little, knowing that the shield was highly dangerous to touch. It was a security measure that the SeaQuest had installed right at the beginning. Its purpose was to prevent a hostile force gain access to the vessel through the launch bay doors.

If they did manage to make it into the SeaQuest this barrier was designed to stop them from getting any further and restrict their ability to make any more progress into other more sensitive areas such as the Bridge.

Bridger was also aware of its purpose, physically putting his hand on Kristin, just in case. The screen extended across half of the Moon Pool and before the small staircase. "Turn it off."

Mycroft was confident that he had put measures in place that would now allow him to move freely across the upper part of the deck without being hampered by the Security Team or crew.

Crocker and Shan were talking with Ford trying to work out if there was away around the shield or at least get access to the control to switch it off.

"I wouldn't fire those weapons at the shield, Captain. I believe it gives out a nasty shock, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for any of your team getting hurt," Clemens spoke.

"The Bridge is locked down, Sir, and Katie won't let in him there, but there is no telling what else he has in mind. The security screen cannot be switched off from the Bridge. There is a manual over-ride system, but its managed by that communications station up there where he is standing," Ford explained to the Captain.

"What is it you want, Clemens?" Bridger questioned, maintaining a safe distance behind the beams, but trying to make eye contact with the man. He wanted to confront the man and tear him limb from limb for what he had done to Lucas, but at the moment had to determine the man's current objectives and what that meant for the SeaQuest.

"I never meant for it to turn out like this, Captain," Mycroft answered whilst switching on the communications station. He knew he had to work fast. "I have to get back to my rebel group and help them, and I am afraid I cannot wait any longer until my mini-sub is repaired."

"You can't go back to Andromeda," Krieg shouted, trying to think of a way to stall the man.

Mycroft stopped what he was doing and looked at the Lieutenant, for a brief moment wondering how on earth they had found out that the rebels were on Andromeda. Then the answer hit him, as he realised that somehow the SeaQuest crew had overheard the conversation he had with Lucas.

"Yes, that's right Clemens, we already know what you did on NODE 3," Ford accused.

Clemens frowned a little, recalling the conversation that had taken place, but nowhere had there been any mention of the specific details of NODE 3.

"There are surveillance cameras in every part of the SeaQuest, Martin," Bridger remarked. "Just like there were at the NODE 3 base."

"We also saw what else you did to Lucas," Kristin spoke, barely keeping her temper in check. "How could a grown man like you attack and choke an innocent boy?" she demanded to know.

Mycroft figured that Bridger must not have seen what else he had done to the teenager a short time ago, but that would change soon enough. He would have to check on the youth shortly anyway, and perhaps the best idea for now was to bring him out here.

"Give yourself up now, before this gets out of hand," Ford motioned, trying to get the man to see reason.

"Sorry, but I cannot do that. Too many people are relying on me to get back there. I am just going to borrow one of your launches for a short time. I am going to load it up with some emergency supplies from your store, and make my way back there."

"Stealing a launch isn't going to help, its only going to make it worse," Bridger told him plainly.

Mycroft turned his attentions back to the communications station, no wanting to listen to any of the pros and cons of his actions. What was done now could not be undone, and that included striking Lucas.

"He is trying to access a secured link outside of SeaQuest," Ford informed the group, "He doesn't seem to have any trouble negotiating the controls or password access that is mandatory."

"Being as good a hacker as he is, Commander, I doubt it will cause him too much trouble at all," Bridger responded.

Clemens had a PAL communicator in his possession and now placed it on the edge of the Moon Pool. "Company Leader, this is Rogue 2, do you copy."

All that could be heard on the other side was static. Clemens left the link open, knowing that it might take a bit more time for them to be able to contact him.

"I am going to start gathering those emergency supplies and loading them into a launch," Mycroft stated, "But first I have to make a stop at the Brig."

"Yeah, and throw yourself in there while you are there," Krieg responded sarcastically.

Mycroft walked away from C Deck completely unrestricted, down a corridor, ignoring the Lieutenant's snide remarks.

Clemens made his way to the Brig, his sole purpose, to grab a pair of handcuffs. He needed to move Lucas to the Deck near the launch and then worry about the supplies.

Another few flights of stairs and he neared the spot where he had left the vulnerable and injured teenager. Pulling back the grated panel, he could see the young man had barely moved since he had left, but there were now sounds that he was waking.

Clemens jumped down into the floor place, lifting the boy into a sitting position so that he could lift him out of the crawl space more easily. The movement helped to bring Lucas around a little more and he gave a low groan from the pain in his head.

Lucas attempted to lift is hands towards the area that was throbbing the most, but his limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated. He tried to open his eyes, but even that seemed like quite a challenge at present. His mind was foggy.

The teenager was about to reach for his head again, when Mycroft seized his wrist and placed the first cuff. Lucas did manage to open his eyes, feeling something pulling on his arm and sensing somebody near him. As his sight focused on what was going on, he gave a gasp of surprise, only to have feel another pull on his other wrist.

"What the….," Lucas said his brain finally made sense of what was happening to him. "What are you doing," he tried to yell, but his head was spinning badly and the pain flared again.

To his dismay, he could feel trembling in the Lucas's limbs, probably still as a result of the blow to he head. Before the boy could protest any further about his confinement, Mycroft pulled the teenager into a standing position.

Lucas weakly tried to fight off Mycroft, but uttered a guttural groan as he was hoisted over the man's shoulder and pushed upwards and over the lip of the hole, rolling onto his side. Clemens scrambled up behind him and slid the mesh panel back over their hiding place.

Lucas hadn't moved or tried to get up, he was too busying trying to deal with the spinning sensation that was quickly engulfing him. He felt someone tugging at his arms, pulling him to his feet, but he couldn't resist.

Mycroft pulled the teenager into a standing position once more, a little worried about the grey look on the kid's face. It looked as though he might pass out again at any moment. There was a fresh trickle of blood from the head wound.

Clemens grabbed the boy by his handcuffed wrists and began forcing him to walk back towards the launch bay and where the SeaQuest crew were.

"Let me………Let me…….," but the final word wouldn't come out. His mouth was dry and his stomach was nauseous. The pain in his head was relentless.

Back near the Moon Pool, the Captain smacked his hand on his thigh as the frustration started to gnaw away.

Bridger spoke quietly to Ford, trying to work out how to close down the security screen. At the moment it was doing exactly what it was designed to do, but instead of preventing somebody entering SeaQuest, it was going to allow Mycroft to steal the launch and supplies.

"Commander Hitchcock," Ford spoke into his PAL communicator.

"Hitchcock here," Katie responded.

"Katie, are you able to monitor where he went to?" already knowing that there was little they could do in the way of tracking his movements from where they were standing.

"Negative, Sir, unless he has a communicator on him or something that I can trace," Hitchcock answered.

"Nathan, we should warn Lucas to stay in his cabin until we catch this fellow," Kristin said worriedly. Bridger nodded his head in agreement.

"Commander, page Lucas for me on his communicator?" Bridger requested.

"Aye, Sir," Katie obeyed, and used her console to do that. The Bridger was on lock down which meant most of the critical operations were suspended, including communication from the Bridge to other parts of SeaQuest, but she still had use of her own PAL Communicator and some operations working.

The PAL Communicator beside the Moon Pool was currently switched off, and didn't make a sound or light up at Katie's attempts.

Katie couldn't get any response from the teenager and contacted the Captain once more, "Sorry Captain, but I can't get Lucas to respond to my page."

Bridger couldn't help but become more alarmed at the Commander's words, "Katie, trace Lucas's PAL and tell me where he is right now?"

Kristin and the others could sense the urgency in his voice, and knew what he was worried about.

"Captain, my sensors indicate that Lucas is standing on the same Deck as you."

"Check again Katie, that can't be right," Ben challenged, but then spotted the PAL Communicator on the edge of the Moon Pool.

"How can that be possible?" Ford queried, thinking that Katie much have been mistaken too.

"Nathan!" Kristin suddenly exclaimed in alarm, pointing to the PAL communicator that Krieg had spotted a few moments earlier.

"That must be Lucas's PAL communicator," Chief Crocker surmised.

"What would Clemens being doing with it?" Tim asked innocently enough, but the look on the faces of the Captain and Doctor Westphalen told them all.

Bridger couldn't help but feel his stomach tying itself in knots, remembering back to the Science Lab and how he had found Lucas's notebook on the table. All this time they had assumed that he had left and was safe. A sense of dread began to wash over him, but before he could make any sort of comments, they could all hear the sounds of footsteps coming towards them.

The Captain shouted out as Mycroft entered the area once more, pulling along with him a very confused and unsteady teenager, "LUCAS!"

"What have you done to him?" Krieg growled ready to save his friend, but Ford had to grip the back of his shirt to stop him from hurting himself on the electric shield.

The group watched on helplessly as Mycroft dragged the stumbling youth towards the railing of the small staircase. Clemens was shoving him along, rather than the teenager walking under his own. The boy did not look very well at all.

Bridger's anxiety grew, seeing the obvious distress of his son. Lucas hadn't spoken, but he was clearly unsteady on his feet and could collapse at any moment.

As they approached the stairs, Mycroft gave a little bit too hard of a push to Lucas, causing him to fall to his knees. Nathan was yet to get a good look at the teenager to see where he was hurt.

Clemens unlocked Lucas's right wrist and now secured the cuff around the railing. He made sure that it wouldn't allow the boy to escape and turned back towards the communications station to see if his group had responded.

"Let him go," Kristin yelled at Mycroft, "Can't you see he's hurt. Lucas can you hear me honey?"

Clemens looked around, but didn't make any comment to the doctor.

Lucas gave out a low moan, and turned his head towards the sound of Kristin's voice.

Bridger couldn't hold back the cry of outrage that was caught in his throat as they got to view the side of the teenager's face for the first time, "YOU BASTARD!"

Ben was just as angry as his Captain. The left hand side of Lucas's handsome face was marred by a darkening bruise. They could clearly see the trickles of blood that ran from just beneath his hairline down to his jaw. Some drops had fallen off and soaked into his shirt.

Nathan kerbed his cursing of Mycroft and his facial expression softened as his attention drawn back to Lucas as the teenager tried to speak.

"C-Cap……..," Lucas whispered, using his free hand to reach up to his head. The dizziness was growing exponentially.

"He may have a bad concussion, Nathan," Kristin assessed, noting that the teenager was only semi-conscious.

Nathan tried to talk calmly, "Lucas?" From where he was standing, he could only watch in anguish at the young man's pain. The anger in him grew as he saw the handcuff around the boy's wrist and the slight reddened areas were it was rubbing against the skin.

"You heard the Captain, let Lucas go," Ford demanded, trying again to find a way of shutting off the shield. There was no way to get to the teenager and help him.

"I cannot do that. At least if he is there I know where he is and he cannot prevent me from getting off SeaQuest," Mycroft commented. At this point in time he saw no reason to tell the crew that he intended to take the young man with him back to Andromeda. They would learn that soon enough.

"LET HIM GO!" Bridger shouted again.

Lucas was trying to rattle the handcuffs and get free, he could hear voices and shouting, but he couldn't put all it together with his head pounding so badly.

Kristin was still trying to coax the teenager to speak to her. At least that would ease her concerns about a concussion. "Lucas, can you hear me?"

Lucas heard the voice and recognized it, his mind still swirling and his throat still incredibly dry. He tried to swallow, but could feel the nausea returning twofold. His body was telling him to sleep, but part of him was telling himself that he needed to move.

"Lucas, buddy," Ben called out gently, hoping he might be able to help Kristin.

"B-Ben………u-under f-f-floor ……….. hit m-my h-head," Lucas stammered too quickly, getting the sequence of events out of order.

"S-shhhh," Bridger tried to soothe, "We will help you," reassuring the injured boy, appalled at the bruising and blood that he could see.

His few short words had given the crew a basic description of what had happened back at Science Lab 5 and why they hadn't been able to find any trace of Mycroft.

Lucas grabbed onto the railing, trying to use it as support to pull himself up from his knees. The chain from the handcuff was too short for him to go anywhere. The teenager could hear voices talking, but they sounded too far way.

"Lucas……… Lucas," Kristin called, her voice calm and quiet. She could see him attempting to stand up, but could also see the pain from the exertion across his face. His pallor was still pale.

The teenager suddenly stopped, the dizziness was becoming too much. He couldn't get the pain out of his head. Without warning, the blood drained abruptly from his face and the boy pitched forwarded onto the floor and passed out.

"LUCAS," Bridger cried out, his torment continuing that he couldn't get to the boy to help him.

Mycroft had turned at he sudden noise of something crashing to the floor, and had a brief look of concern on his face, but quickly turned back to the communications station.

"He isn't moving at all," Krieg said with frustration and helpless mixed into his voice.

"If he has a bad concussion, then any sort of movement will only make it worse," Kristin tried to explain. She wasn't about to give a medical lecture, but knew that the Lieutenant cared for Lucas as much as Nathan did.

From where he was standing, Bridger could see Lucas, laying at the top of the stairs, unconscious. The bruised skin was now standing out against the stark paleness of his face. The bleeding appeared to have stopped, but the trickles of dried blood were still there.

"How are we going to get to him?" Ford asked, knowing that the Captain was now more worried about Lucas than Mycroft getting off SeaQuest.

"Please Martin, at least move him down here. He's hurt and bleeding and needs medical attention. We can do that from behind here at least," Bridger pleaded.

"He is in no condition to try and stop you leaving," Nathan added thinking that Mycroft had some crazy idea that Lucas's computer skills might thwart his efforts to get steal the launch.

"Sorry, Captain, I cannot do that."

Bridger's temper flared at the man's disregard for Lucas laying unconscious, "Of course you can do that. You did this to him. You have no right keeping him restrained like that. He's hurt damn you!"

Mycroft had heard all of the Captain's pleas, and for a brief moment he felt like telling Bridger how sorry he was for striking the boy at all. But his thoughts were interrupted by a static crackle coming across the communications station.

"Rogue 2, this is Company Leader, do you read?"

The SeaQuest crew could clearly hear the party that Mycroft was trying to contact at the other end. It was noisy and full of static, but decipherable.

"Company Leader, this is Rogue 2," Mycroft responded. "Advise that I am ready to rendezvous with you in approximately 1 hour. Have supplies and 1 package, will need assistance to unload."

The SeaQuest crew had no idea that Clemens meant Lucas to be the 1 package.

"Roger that, will meet up in 1 hour, Company Leader out."

"Now Captain Bridger, I need to gather those supplies," Mycroft stated, heading off down one of the corridors.

For the next thirty minutes or so, the SeaQuest crew and Security Officers were forced to stand by and watch Clemens bring out box after box. About half way through, he used the communications station to prepare a launch in Docking Bay Number 3.

Kristin was seated on the floor a short distance from the shield, together with Nathan as they kept trying to assess Lucas's condition. The teenager was still out cold and still lay very quiet.

Ford, Shan, Crocker and Ben stood a short distance away, taking inventory of the supplies that Clemens was carrying out, ready to load onto the launch.

"From what I can see he has about 2 dozen blankets, water purification tablets, some heating equipment, matches, candles, bottled water and some first-aid kits," Ben informed the Commander.

"I don't get it though," Ortiz spoke up. "SeaQuest has three times the amount of those items that he is taking, why does he bother with just those. If he was going to steal stuff from here, you think it would be electronic equipment and radios."

Mycroft was checking of a hand-written list that he had prepared, counting what was there. He glanced over at the form of Lucas laying on the floor on a couple of occasions, the guilt of his actions showing a little.

Nathan and Kristin were stunned along with everybody else when Clemens broke open one of the packs of bottled water, and grabbed one of the blankets from the bundle and walked over to where the teenager lay.

He bend down and placed his hand on the boy's neck, checking his pulse. Clemens gave a brief and curt nod to the doctor, to signal that it was still strong. He unfolded the blanket and spread it out roughly over the Lucas's sleeping form. The water bottled was placed beside him.

Bridger couldn't understand what he just saw. Why would he do that to Lucas after he had assaulted him? For a brief moment he had to be grateful for the small comfort that the man offered.

Mycroft was at the communications station again, getting the launch ready to leave.

An audible moan from Lucas brought the SeaQuest crew's attention back to him, as he began to wake up. "Lucas, can you hear me," Kristen repeated her earlier question.

She was rewarded with a small reply, barely above a whisper, "Yeah,"

"Tell me how you feel," Kristen urged the teenager. He was still lying down, and hadn't woken entirely yet. She knew she couldn't rush him.

There was a long pause before Lucas uttered the one word answer, "T-tired……,"

Nathan gave a small grin in relief, but knew that Lucas wasn't out of danger yet.

Lucas lifted his head and then his shoulders off the decking, the blanket sliding down beside him. He stopped until he felt his waiting for his sense of balance return, opening his eyes.

The teenager wanted to use his voice, but his mouth was so dry. He lifted his hand to his neck and rubbed at his throat, he then spotted the water bottle beside him. He unscrewed the cap and took a small sip of the water. It wasn't cold but it was wet. He didn't want to risk taking anymore in case the nausea returned.

Lucas was now sitting up, with his back against the railing, but Bridger and Kristin were able to keep an eye on him from that position. They were pleased to note that the young man was somewhat a little more coherent than he had been when Clemens first handcuffed him to the railing.

Kristin noted that the teenager did look very tired, but also knew the risks about allowing a patient to fall back to sleep after suffering an injury and passing our like Lucas had done. "We have to try and keep him awake."

Bridger nodded an acknowledgement the he had heard the doctor and recognized the dangers, "Lucas talk to me," he said, trying to keep the boy's attention from his pain.

"A-about what?" But as the words left his lips, the teenager's head began to sag towards his chest, his eyes were heavy and drooping.

"No, no, Lucas, try and keep awake, honey," Kristin tried to warn. It did the trick and the teenager opened his eyes again, attempting to follow her instructions.

"P-Please don't shout," Lucas whispered, wrapping his free hand around his head and giving another wince of pain.

"Try and move your arms and legs for me," Kristin asked, wanting to see if the teenager had suffered any other injuries that couldn't be seen. They had seen him try and stand earlier, but that do anything to quell her concern for him.

"W-what happened?" Lucas asked softly.

"You have a terrible head wound, Lucas, you have to remain as still as possible until I can reach you to help," Kristin replied.

"Bad head wound?" Lucas said, but because of the throbbing, had no reason to doubt the doctor. He began reaching his hand up to the area, wincing as he fingertips gently brushed across his temple.

The injured teenager heard the distinct rattle of the chain and opened his eyes and looked down at the handcuff around his wrist. It took a few moments for him to understand and recall the images of Clemens lifting him up out of the crawl space.

Lucas's eyes flew open at the memory and he looked around trying to spot the man who had done this to him. The handcuff around his wrist fuelled his fear as he pulled on it, trying to escape.

Bridger could see the fright on the teenager's face as he became more alert, "Hang on there kiddo, we will help you as soon as we can."

Lucas looked at the Captain, and now noticed the shield that separated him from the rest of the crew standing there. "Got to get you out of there," he said, worrying that Mycroft was keeping them prisoner rather than himself.

"We have to find a way to shut off the shield," Bridger told him.

"There is a remote control up on the pole there, Lucas, but you are too far away to reach it," Commander Fordcommented.

"Good to see you awake, Frankie," Mycroft stated as he walked back from taking the last load of supplies to the launch bay, using the nick name that he had used back on NODE 3.

"Take this thing off of me!" Lucas demanded angrily. The rise of his temper made his headache throb that much more.

"Lucas, calm down, you are only going to hurt yourself more," Kristin tried to calm the agitated teenager.

"Better listen to your doctor friend there, Frankie," Mycroft commented.

"Go to hell!" Lucas spat at the man. "Only my friends call me by that name, and you are no friend of mine."

Clemens knew that the SeaQuest crew were about to learn more about his agenda of getting back to Andromeda, but the rendezvous with the rebels fast approaching, the supplies.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Lucas, it was an accident," Mycroft said, trying to defend himself.

"Oh yeah, right. Hitting me in the head with flash light out of nowhere is an accident," Lucas accused. He stopped speaking as he could feel the nausea returning.

Crocker pulled out the small flash light that was part of his security belt. It was a smaller version and meant as a personal item, but the material was the same, a hard polymer plastic. No wonder Lucas had such a bruise forming down the side of his face.

"I tried to ask you nicely, Lucas. I told you what I was trying to do and what benefits would come to a lot of people. Now I am beginning to run out of options, and if that means forcing you to go back with me to Andromeda, then I will do just that."

"I am not going anywhere with you," Lucas shouted. "You can't make me help you or your rebel group."

Kristin's heart just about skipped a beat along with Bridger from behind the security screen. Until just now they had no idea that Clemens intended to kidnap the teenager. That is why Lucas had been segregated from the rest of them.

"I don't want to kill anybody, Lucas." Mycroft responded. "I just want you."

"You are not taking that boy anywhere!" Kristin shouted at Clemens.

"I am not going back with you," Lucas stated, his voice determined. On the inside he was a bundle of nerves and trying to think of a way out.

"By force if necessary," Mycroft repeated.

"Don't you touch him," Bridger hissed walking back and forth along the screen, trying to find a way to shut it off and help Lucas.

Mycroft ignored Bridger entirely, but instead, pulled out a small black pistol from his jacket and pointed it at Lucas who had no chance of running.

The Security Team and SeaQuest crew held their collective breaths as the situation had escalated to dangerous. They couldn't fire their weapons at the shield, the shots would only ricochet back towards them.

"LET HIM GO," Bridger demanded again, "You are not taking him anywhere."

"He doesn't really have a choice in this, Captain, and neither do you," Clemens replied coldly.

"Up on your feet, Lucas, time to go," he said, the gun still in plain sight.

Lucas couldn't deny some fear running through him at seeing the gun pointed at him, but at the same time, he was angry that this man was forcing him to do something he didn't want to do.

"NO!" Lucas yelled defiantly.

"Leave him alone," could be heard coming from a number of the crew standing and feeling so helpless.

"I said STAND UP!," Mycroft shouted, stomping his way over and gruffly grabbing the teenager by the front of his shirt.

By the time Clemens had pulled the struggling teenager to his feet, a fine sheen of perspiration could be seen on the Lucas's forehead. His was trying to take a few deep breaths and keep check of his protesting body at its rough treatment.

"Can't you see what I am trying to achieve here is a peaceful place for these people to live," Mycroft tried to explain one last time, hoping that he could somehow convince the boy to come willingly.

Lucas looked at the man with every shred of contempt that he had, "No, Mycroft, the only thing I see is hypocorism at its worst."

The look from Clemen's turned from demanding to angry, the boy's words feeling like a slap in the face.

"You are getting on that launch, like it or not, Lucas," Clemens stated firmly, bending down slightly to undo the handcuff that was around the railing. He had no intentions of removing the one from the teenager's wrist.

In a split second, Lucas saw the one and only chance he was going to get at getting some help from Bridger and the others. He could see the remote control that Commander Ford had shown him earlier. Mycroft's gaze was on the handcuff on the railing, and the gun's aim had altered slightly, with the weapon pointing at the floor.

Bridger could see the boy tense his muscles, what wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He knew Lucas had to be scared, it was only natural.

Before Clemens figured what he was up to, Lucas waited until he heard the tell-tale 'click' of the handcuff and took his best shot.

"Get away from me," the teenager yelled, and gave Mycroft an almighty shove, sending the man sprawling across the deck a few feet away and causing the gun fall from his hand.

Lucas untangled the unlocked handcuff from around the railing and tried to run to the pole where the remote control for the shield was.

"Good going, Lucas," Bridger exclaimed as the teenager got the remote from its sleeve and was about to deactivate the security shield. He hoped that within a few moments the tables would be turned on Mycroft and he would be the one in chains.

His elation though was short lived though as Mycroft got up angrily from the decking and made a charge at the teenager.

"Ooph!" came the sound as Lucas found himself tackled roughly from behind. He hit the floor hard and the air was driven from his lungs. The jarring caused the remote control to fall out of his hand.

Mycroft and Lucas were wrestling for the remote, but the man was stronger, reaching it first and throwing it into the Moon Pool. It was useless now as it hit the water and short-circuited.

Clemens quickly retrieved his gun, and again grabbed the teenager roughly, pulling him to his feet. Before Lucas could do anything, Mycroft used the back of his hand to strike the youth viciously across the face, "That was a stupid move, Lucas."

"Says you," Lucas wiping away a small amount of blood from the corner of his lip, glaring at his captor. His face stung like hell.

Mycroft seized the youth's free wrist and slapped the open cuff around it once more, smirking a little at the small gasp Lucas gave. 'Now, get going!" he ordered, pointing the gun at the teenager once more for emphasis.

"No!" Lucas refused once more, "What are you going to do, shoot me first?"

Before Mycroft could answer, a splash in water drew everyone's attention to the Moon Pool. Darwin surfaced and gave a small chirp. Bridger couldn't reach him from where he was, the mammal was restricted to the other side of the tank.

"I can't shoot you, Lucas, I need you alive," Mycroft responded. "But there are other people aboard this vessel."

Lucas looked nervously back at the Security crew, his family and friends standing behind the shield. He could never live with himself if one of them got shot by Mycroft instead.

"Don't listen to his lies, Lucas," Bridger tried to warn the teenager. "He can't shoot us from behind here."

"But I can certainly shoot the fish," Mycroft said menacingly, pointing the gun at Darwin.

"NO! You can't shoot Darwin," Lucas panicked, trying to fight against Mycroft and the handcuffs that prevented him from getting a hold of the gun. "He hasn't done anything to you."

"But what does he mean to you?" Clemens asked cruelly, knowing that the teenager had a strong connection with the animal.

Lucas's body language said it all as his shoulders slumped and he stopped his struggling. His face was looking down at the floor, but then he briefly looked directly at Bridger.

"He is a dolphin, not a fish," Lucas said in a low voice, looking back at Mycroft, but defeat clearly written across his face. He had no choice.

"He is still hurt, you can't just take him," Kristin said, "He has a concussion."

"There is some aspirin in the first-aid kits aboard the launch, he can have those," Mycroft informed her.

Clemens, please don't do this," Bridger pleaded, as the man began pulling the handcuffed and resisting teenager towards the Launch Bay doors.

"I can't let him hurt Darwin," Lucas managed to say, looking back at the Captain and the Doctor.

Mycroft reached the communications station, and hit the control that opened the doors, 'Docking Bay Number 3 now available' came the recorded message over the loud speaker.

The SeaQuest crew watched helplessly as Mycroft forced the injured teenager towards the hatch ladder. Lucas put his feet on the rungs, his grip with his hands made that much more difficult with his handcuffs.

"B-Ben……help me," Lucas said, fear beginning to set in. His legs were trembling and he was beginning to feel light-headed again.

Mycroft pointed the gun at him again, forcing him to descend the ladder into the launch, but his last sentence could clearly be heard :

"Captain……… please …………… find me,"

to be continued…………………

**Author Notes**:

Yes I know ….. you don't want me to finish this.

Actually I had a completely different scene written and finished, with Lucas just walking onto the deck and being forced into the shuttle – but then I wrote this. I wanted Lucas to be both vulnerable –but also have a few moments of anger and fighting back too. I also in the end wanted him to be awake when he went down the ladder so he could look at Bridger – so I didn't knock him out there like I originally intended.

So I changed it – will use the other scene at another time.

You also have to pretend that although Katie Hitchcock might have been able to help Lucas, in my story – she couldn't.

Martin Clemens I tried to portray differently – with him feeling guilty in places – but then not in others. Probably not strictly in keeping with the character.

Having the crew not know about taking Lucas with him until the last minute just happened as I was writing.

There are a few twists and turns to come – so if you think its going to be just a rescue mission – then you better hold on – because its about to get bumpy yet. The Company Leader is someone that nobody is expecting – a new character.

The parts about the security shield come from the episode GAMES where I saw it used for Rubin Zeller. And I don't think I did a well enough job of describing how Bridger and the crew couldn't do anything to help Lucas – but that was how I was trying to write it – just that they couldn't get to him.

Updates for other stories and other ideas on my profile page if you would like to read them at any time. I still have others that are not put up there yet.

Reviews are very much welcome – did I do okay ???

I hope you enjoy.

JULES


	5. Chapter 5

ANOTHER LOSS FROM THE

CREW OF THE SEAQUEST

Roy Schneider – Captain Nathan Hale Bridger

passed away 11th February 2008.

But he will always be a part of our stories

together with the rest of the crew.

Jules


	6. Chapter 6

**A PERFECT WORLD**

**By Jules**

**CHAPTER 6 – Rescue Plans**

**Responses to Reviews:**

Wildfire's Flame – yes it bugged me to no end that there seemed to be no appropriate ending to that episode – so I went about to rectify that in the only way I know how – write one myself lol. I could use Darwin for the shield, but seeing as how it already happened in the show – was going to do something a little simpler and have someone else do it. That is where the idea came from though.

criminally charmed - yeah, I have been writing a stronger Lucas in a few of my stories lately, but I like the vulnerability too and the angst that comes with a lot of the original lines that I have introduced. I think there is enough for both, depending on the situation. Thank you for reading.

firebunee – this storyline is about to get a whole lot more complicated before it gets told. Buckle up – because there is a lot more twists and turns to come which I hope you will enjoy.

Questfan – I always just sit and write – I usually have a basic outline – but so many scenes just write themselves as I am typing for a lot of my stories. May not be like other authors – but the only way I know how to do it. Thank you for reading – on with the next chapter now.

Ihni – You would think that all the components would be waterproof wouldn't you, but alas I guess for the purposes of this plot, someone got a little careless with the requisitions and equipment. Thank you for reviewing and glad to hear that you are enjoying the story so far.

Lynnp – keep reading – lots of interesting stuff to come – not even to the good stuff yet lol. Thank you for reviewing.

-1993 – Yes, I am afraid I have this problem where Lucas is hurt in most if not all my stories. I don't know how that keeps happening – will have to talk to the writer about that. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

SherryBird - next chapter up now – so glad you are enjoying it – going to get a little scary from here.

Thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this whether you sent in a written review or not. As long as people keep reading, I will keep writing.

**And now – on with the next part…….**

**By Jules**

As the overhead hatch closed on the launch, Lucas stopped calling out to his family and friends still stuck behind

the electric security screen.

The descent into the launch wasn't very long, but the sensation of vertigo from standing on the rungs of the ladder

was strong for the injured teenager.

He swallowed slowly, trying to quell the nausea that had returned a short time ago. He with dizziness that he was currently feeling, he didn't want to let go thin metal rung, for fear of falling. Even a fall of a short distance would be a very bad thing.

"Keep moving," Clemens barked from above, still holding the gun. He knew he didn't have much time to get away with the boy.

Lucas wanted to say something sharp back to the man's insistence that he hurry up, but his brain hurt too much to think straight. Any choice words he wanted to retort would have to wait until later.

Mycroft was under no misassumptions that Bridger would indeed be trying to chase him down soon enough. The electronic screen had worked when it suited him at stopping the Captain and his crew from being able to help Lucas. But there was no denying that Bridger was an astute and resourceful man and somehow he would find a way to get himself and the rest of his crew free.

He hadn't underestimated him after Node 3, and now that the crew had discovered that little secret, then he knew timing was definitely not on his side. With Lucas being taken as his reluctant prisoner, Clemens knew he could expect to be looking over his shoulder.

Bridger and his crew would waste no time in trying to find Lucas and rescue him. Mycroft needed to be away from SeaQuest long before that was allowed to happen. He also had to keep the problems of meeting up with the others in the back of his mind as well.

The window of opportunity would not be available to him for very long and with an extra passenger in tow, he would need all of it to mask his entrance into Andromeda without detection by Cavanagh or anyone else.

Mycroft knew there would be many questions asked by the rebels as well about his intentions and methods, but he had taken a chance bringing a hostage, and now he would have to stick with his plan, knowing that is was doubtful that another would present itself as an alternative.

Lucas gave a small wince from the pain in his head as he managed to put his foot down on the next ladder rung.

He went to do the same to the step below when his fear of succumbing to his dizziness and falling almost became reality as he stumbled, a short cry of surprise escaping his mouth. At the last minute he was able to grab a hold of the side rail despite his hands being cuffed together.

Another cautious step down and he reached the bottom of the ladder and was now fully down inside the launch. The teenager allowed himself to let out the breath he had been holding onto. He lifted his head to look at his surroundings, but the lights in the launch stabbed into his skull and the movement caused the muscles in his neck to tighten.

Clemens was only a few seconds behind, pointing the gun at the teenager until he was sure of his own footing.

"Get over there!" Clemens demanded, shoving the injured teenager towards one of the long seats against the side of the launch. With dismay he could see that the young man was almost as unsteady on his feet as he had been earlier on SeaQuest as a result of his head injury.

Clemens could not see any fresh bleeding, but the boy was clearly paler a shade or two as Lucas used his hands to push some strands of blond hair back from his face.

"Sit down, before you fall down," Mycroft ordered harshly.

Mycroft silently gave credit to the teenager thought, surprised as hell before he forced Lucas onto the launch at the teenager's tenacity and determination to defend his crewmates and then a stupid fish. Even when he was the injured party. And since coming aboard the launch, it was clear that Lucas wasn't about to back down now either.

Lucas remained standing, looking back at Clemens with as much contempt as he could muster. His head might be pounding, but he wasn't about to admit any weakness in front of the man.

"Go to hell!"

"Full of charm since waking up aren't you?" Mycroft sneered, roughly shoving his shoulder.

With the sudden push backwards, Lucas lost his balance and fell against the seat on his behind, looking up at Clemens and scowling at the man with a dark look.

"You don't have to do this. Let me go! "

The outburst caused Lucas to wrap his free hand around his head from the relentless headache that wouldn't leave him alone.

Mycroft now grabbed the boy's handcuffed wrists, resigned to the fact that Lucas was not about to co-operate at all.

He used his free hand to unlock one side of the restraints and clicked them around one of the supporting poles on the launch.

"That will make sure you stay put for a bit."

"You are not going to get away with this."

The pole was welded into the launch and ran from ceiling to floor in one whole piece of steel pipe.

Lucas started pulling on the cuff despite Clemens words that he wouldn't be getting free. The metal cuff scrapped against the steel of the pole, and the cuff was loose enough to move up and down with ease, but it would not release its grip around his wrist.

Secure in the knowledge that the teenager wouldn't escape anytime soon, Mycroft now made his way to the cockpit of the launch, ready to leave SeaQuest.

Clemens noted that some of the controls were slightly different than those of his smaller craft, but he had been in various different types of submersibles over the years and when it came down to it, the basics were the same.

Lucas's heart sank a little as he felt the launch's engines start up and the vessel began to move. He looked out the small window and could see through the porthole that the vessel was making its way out of the docking bay.

The speed of the launch was slow to begin with, but as soon as Mycroft sensed they were free of the docking bay and into the deeper surrounding water, he increased the engines.

Lucas found himself having to lean in towards the handcuffs in an attempt to brush the damp hair from his forehead.

The headache was bearable, but only just. The nausea was still present as well.

The pain and dizziness in his head confused his thoughts, but he knew that the danger was very real and he would have to try and escape at the first opportunity.

* * *

_**back aboard SeaQuest:**_

Ben Krieg quickly grabbed a hold of his PAL communicator, almost fumbling in his haste, "Katie, open the Bridge doors, NOW!" he demanded.

"Ben, what is going on?" Hitchcock replied, hearing the urgency in her ex-husband's voice, but still obeying orders until she had word from Captain Bridger or Commander Ford.

Despite their marital differences in the past, Ben was one of the most calmest people she knew, even in tense situations. It was very strange to hear him shouting at her like that especially aboard SeaQuest.

"Commander, please do what he says, Mycroft is stealing a launch from us and has taken Lucas as a hostage," the Captain explained hurriedly.

"We need you to operate the controls on the other side of the Moon Pool and release the electronic shield, Katie," Ben added.

Katie heard Bridger's statement about Lucas being taken hostage and immediately did as she was asked. If Mycroft had truly taken a launch from the SeaQuest, she didn't know if they would be able to stop it from leaving.

"Bridge controls being returned to normal operation," Hitchcock announced, her fingers dancing over the controls at the Captain's central console.

A short siren sounded, followed by a bell, similar to the ones that had been heard when the Commander was ordered to take all necessary precautions to prevent a breach of the Bridge.

Katie now took off the head set she was wearing and quickly exited through the clam doors. She paused a moment, seeing the senior crew and security staff stuck behind the security shield over the Moon Pool.

"You will need to shut down this security beam from that communications station there, Katie," Bridger instructed. "The remote was tossed into the Moon Pool and short circuited."

Hitchcock raced to the communications console, and began pressing a series of buttons to try and shut off the shield. "Damn it, nothing seems to be working," she cried out in frustration, knowing that time was not on her side or for Lucas.

"Try again, Katie," Ben encouraged, knowing that she was trying her best, but becoming stressed by the situation. It was a rate state for his ex-wife, when normally she could be counted on to keep a cool head and calm in a crisis.

"You can do it, Commander," Bridger said, backing up Krieg.

Kristen was so worried about what be happening to Lucas, that she barely felt the tension of her hands clasped together tightly, feeling useless at a time when she needed to be most useful.

A splash from the other side of the moon pool signaled to those trapped behind the shield that Darwin was still nearby. They couldn't reach him from where he was, but were grateful that Clemens had not carried out any threat to hurt the dolphin.

They all knew just as Mycroft had guessed about how much the Captain and Lucas in particular felt about the marine animal. The teenager considered him more than a pet, Darwin was his friend, and it had shown when Lucas had defended him against any threat from Clemens just as he had done about his friends and family.

"Come on, Katie, come on," Ben urged.

Everyone else in trapped behind the shield was carrying on an equivalent encouraging mantra in their own heads.

With every passing second, the tension was palpable and growing.

"Bridger help Lucas" Darwin chirped through the speaks of the yellow handset mounted on the other side of the shield.

"We are trying pal, we are trying," Bridger called back, but watching Hitchcock's actions anxiously.

"Just a few more seconds, Sir," Katie yelled out to the Captain and other captured crew members, demanding herself to be quicker, but not wanting to make mistakes that would cost more time. A lot of people were depending on her right at this moment, including Lucas.

"We don't have a few more seconds, Kate, come on damn it!" Krieg muttered under his breath, forcing his hands into his pockets.

Ford was watching Hitchcock intently, trying to see what her hands were doing, going over his own mantra, '_Remember your training, you can do this. Remember the emergency drills."_

The electric blue field shimmered for another minute, and then faltered. It tried to flicker back on again but then failed completely, freeing everybody from the small area they were contained in.

"Good job, Commander, well done," Bridger said, clapping a hand on her shoulder as they all hurried to the Bridge with only one objective on their mind. Rescuing Lucas.

Ortiz jumped into the chair of his station, knowing that his information would prove to be the most critical.

All of them had felt the vibrations and noise coming from the docking bay that would signify the stolen launch taking off with Mycroft at its helm, and their teenage crewmember as his prisoner.

Ford stood behind Miguel's large screen, whilst O'Neill quickly settled into his own chair, picking up his headphone and immediately trying to pinpoint any noise that would show which direction the launch was headed in.

Bridger sat at his own smaller command station in the centre of the room, with Kristin and Krieg hovering on either side. "Mr Ortiz, any visuals yet?"

Katie Hitchcock was seated at her own command console, awaiting Bridger's next order.

"No, Sir, I am sorry, Clemens must be really moving, because I can't see anything moving out there. You want me to re-route all of the W.S.K.R.S. for the search, Sir?"

"No, don't go that drastic just yet, we need to keep vigil over the SeaQuest too, no matter how worried we are about Lucas. Take two, but rove them out over as much ground as possible without missing anything."

"Aye, Sir," Ortiz replied.

"Tim, can you pick up any engine noises through your set for the launch?" Bridger enquired.

O'Neill paused for a second, listening intently before answering. "I can't be sure, Sir. Possibly, but it is very faint.

Ortiz was right, Mycroft must be really moving the launch taking it out of range much faster than we thought."

Ford was deep in thought, trying to think of something that would give them all a glimmer of hope of catching sight or sound of the stolen launch.

Bridger looked over at Hitchcock briefly and could see her poised, and having an apologetic look on her face at what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, Commander, I know the Probe won't be of much use to us at this stage," Bridger reassured her.

"But I want you to do something equally as important."

Katie showed her professional face, but was grateful that the Captain understood the restrictions of the equipment at her disposal. The hyper-reality probe had helped before and used successfully, but had a limited operating range.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," Katie replied.

"Commander Hitchcock, I need you to make contact with the councilors at Andromeda, preferably that guy in charge…….," Bridger requested, having to think for the man's name for a moment. "Cavanagh."

"Tell him that I want to speak with him urgently and appraise him of the situation. He may have thought he was superior to us all over there, but let's hope that he is human enough to render assistance when we need it," Bridger relayed.

"Jonathan, I want you to back her up….. just in case," Bridger ordered, apologizing with the tone in his voice about the attitude of Cavanagh to Ford's skin colour earlier.

Ford understood why the Captain asked Katie to attempt making contact first with Andromeda, and could see the distaste in Bridger's eyes at Cavanagh's reasons for excluding his visit.

"Aye, Sir," Katie and Ford almost said in unison. Their minds focused on the rescuing Lucas rather than the out-of-date bigotry of a leader who could say he had experienced much of the outside world.

Turning back and swiveling in his chair, Bridger went about addressing the crew as a whole.

"Keep our eyes open and our ears listening, boys and girls, for Lucas's sake," Bridger spoke out loud, knowing that he already had their full support, but hoping to give them all added confidence that their best efforts would prove successful.

"Sorry, Captain, I am not picking up any further external noises in the water," O'Neill apologized as he pulled down his headset to give his report. "The launch must be too far out of range for the sensors to pick up even the slightest vibration. I will keep trying."

Tim turned back towards his station, ready to run the series of steps needed to monitor the water surrounding the SeaQuest once more, knowing that time was not on their side.

It was Miguel Ortiz, who started thinking outside the normal procedures about what might give them the advantage and work. He paused what he was doing for a moment, his fingers pausing over the switches briefly.

"Captain, what about trying to test the water for a fuel trail?"

The crew focused their attention on Miguel as he continued to give an idea of how to trace the fleeing launch.

"Test the water for a fuel trail, the launch has to leave one, and I can work the sensors to test the sea water for just the right type of fuel, excluding larger vessels like the SeaQuest, narrowing down the search parameters," the young Sensor Chief explained.

"Like we did for Maximilian Scully in that Russian Foxtrot sub?" Ford queried, still keeping half of his attention on what Hitchcock was doing.

"Yes," Ortiz jumped up with a little excitement as he remembered something important, "But the fuel for the launches aboard SeaQuest have a unique dye that was mixed in. We can either discount other fuel trails that we come across that don't match, or we can find one that does have the special ingredient in it and follow it towards rescuing Lucas."

"Hey, I do remember something about that," Ford commented, looking towards Katie who was the other person who had the most to do with the original construction of SeaQuest. Hitchcock was currently trying to communicate with Andromeda so her attention from that task didn't falter.

"Admiral Noyce mentioned something very early on in the construction process about the fuel for SeaQuest and the launches in particular being different from other U.E.O. water craft," Ford explained.

"There was some plan to being able identify our own vessels from other subs under the water against hostile forces.

In the end, from what I was told, an additive was introduced to the fuel systems for the launches. The program was only in its infancy when I came aboard under Stark's command, but I believe that the chemical that was used to cause the colour difference is still an ingredient in the fuel's makeup," the Commander continued.

Bridger grimaced a little at the mention of his predecessor, Marilyn Stark. The sabotage that had taken place due to her own greedy ambitions had not been easy to forget. In the end, it had only been thanks to Lucas that they had been able to detect her ticking time-bomb in the first place, but not before it was responsible for many additional hours of repair time for the majority of the SeaQuest's most important operating systems.

Now was not the time for reminiscing though, good or bad, as they tried to find a way of tracking the stolen launch with Lucas aboard.

"That's great Jonathan. Ortiz do what you have to and get onto it now, with my full approval," Bridger said, pleased that a little bit of luck was headed their way. Lord knows they needed every shred of it now.

* * *

Tim and Ford were grinning at Ortiz's sudden brilliant theory, but everyone's attention on the Bridge was quickly drawn to the sound of an annoyed and exasperated voice from Katie Hitchcock who was still trying to contact Andromeda.

"Yes, this is Commander Hitchcock of the SeaQuest, I wish to speak to one of your councilors, it is urgent please," her voice remaining calm, but the volume raising a notch or two.

"I understand your problem, but…………..," she began to say in response, when she stopped abruptly, frowning a little at what she was being told.

"Captain Bridger from the SeaQuest, yes, he and a special party gained access to your facilities only yesterday," Katie explained, the person she was talking to continually interrupting her or talking over the top of her.

Katie paused a moment, "one moment please," she requested as she put the transmission on hold and attempted to regain her composure before reporting to the Captain, the difficulties that she was coming up against.

Bridger could hear the trouble she was experiencing, and except for Miguel and Tim, the other crew members gathered nearer to her work station. Krieg was in earshot of what was going on, choosing to stand behind Ortiz's work station.

In a quiet voice, Katie relayed exactly what she had been told, "Captain, this person on the other side is very reluctant to even let me speak to his supervisor or anyone else there."

"Have you tried explaining this is to help Lucas, Katie," Krieg interjected, knowing he wouldn't be able to display anywhere near the restraint that she was doing had it been him trying to get help from Andromeda.

"You heard me tell them that this was urgent, Ben," Katie said, regretting the edge in her voice that came across to Krieg rather than who it should be directed at.

"Let me take it, Commander," Bridger instructed, allowing her to stand up and step away from her console.

There was small smug look on the faces of Ford and Krieg as they saw Bridger take control. On any given day, the man was quiet and reserved, not demanding anything harshly from his crew unless it was absolutely necessary. Nathan believed in diplomacy and being able to talk through a problem rationally and calmly.

All listened intently, waiting to see how quick the people from Andromeda would be scrambling once the Captain of the SeaQuest introduced himself and made his intentions known.

"Who is this please?" Bridger asked, waiting patiently for the male voice on the other end to respond. It seemed that the person was a little stunned himself to now hear a man addressing him rather than Katie Hitchcock.

"Thank you, this is Captain Nathan Bridger of the SeaQuest, which I am sure you are aware is located not far from your community. I need to speak to Councillor Cavanagh, and I want to do that as soon as possible. Understood?"

Bridger listened to the reply for a moment, a small smile crossing his lips as he looked directly at Katie as he gave a rebuttal, "I am sure that Commander Hitchcock would be very displeased to be addressed in or referred to in such a manner, young man."

Katie's eyes blazed with indignation even though she had not heard the accusation, wanting the Captain to tell her exactly what was being said about her.

She was pretty sure that she could guess at any number of insults about her being a woman, or having any place on a vessel such as SeaQuest. It had happened before when she first joined the U.E.O. academy, but she had soon learned over time how to make the men sit up and take notice that she wasn't about to accept their second class opinions of her or her abilities.

"Uh-oh, she has that look in her eye," Ben Krieg whispered to Ortiz and Doctor Westphalen.

"What look?" Miguel enquired, knowing the Hitchcock was known for being able to display both her academic achievements and her physical prowess and no-nonsense attitude when needed.

There wasn't a seaman aboard SeaQuest that he knew of that would be stupid enough to make a half-assed wise crack or uncomplimentary comment about her that she would find out about. Ortiz would be fairly certain that any such party would be eating out of a straw for a week if they tried.

The possible exception was Ben himself, but she rarely let him getting away with it either without extracting a whole lot of payback.

"The look she uses just before she spoon feeds you your liver," Krieg elaborated. He had been on the end of that look one too many times to not recognize it now. At the time he had deserved it.

Now he liked to think there was an amicable understanding between them. Most of the crew were fairly sure that Ben wouldn't have put up with anybody saying anything against Katie either.

"Been there a few times, Krieg?" Ortiz teased with mirth.

"Just the once," Ben answered and visibly shivered at the memory, making Westphalen and Ortiz both almost laugh out loud.

At hearing the quiet laughter, Katie turned and fixed her fiery gaze on her ex-husband, thinking that he might be responsible for it, but visibly cooling down and keeping her calm, professional exterior in front of the Captain and fellow crewmembers.

Ben put up his hands defensively and put on his best _'deer in the headlights' _look, _'I didn't do it'_ oozing from every pore. Katie shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to the task at hands, a brief shake of her head had that _'I don't believe you for a second Krieg' _and the ever popular _"I will find out what you are up to' _meaning about it.

Everyone's attention was drawn back by Bridger's voice, for a moment he sounded like he was getting just as far as Hitchcock. "Lieutenant, please put Councilor Cavanagh on the main screen," he requested, his posture stiff and low in tone.

"Councilor Cavanagh," Bridger greeted the man, his voice authoritive, but to those watching the Captain, they could see the control he was fighting to keep.

"Captain Bridger, I agreed to talk to once more, but I don't know how I or anyone from this community can help you."

Doctor Westphalen sucked in her cheeks to bite back the commentary that she wanted to give in return. Ben's face was a mixture of confusion at the tone between the two men and impatience at the time it was taking to find out where Clemens had taken Lucas.

"Well you could hardly know what help we are requesting yet, because your people won't talk to my crew," Bridger shot back, not ready to be pushed around more like he had been during his impromptu visit.

"A launch has been stolen from my vessel……….," Bridger began before he was interrupted before even finishing half the sentence.

"That news whilst perhaps pertinent to you, Captain, hardly affects this community in any manner," Cavanagh said formally, his arrogance worn like a shroud for all to see.

"If you will let me finish……..," Bridger said, keeping emotion out of his speech as much as possible. "I believe he is headed to Andromeda."

"I hardly think so, Captain," Cavanagh disagreed immediately.

"How would you know, they are probably still headed there now?" Bridger said, his frustration growing.

"Look, this man has taken Lucas as hostage. He is already hurt, surely you understand our concern and the urgency of gaining help in this matter," Bridger stated, hoping that Cavanagh had at least some shred of decency in his 'higher-than-mighty' personality.

"Lucas?" Cavanagh questioned, feigning disinterest once more, but listening intently. "Wasn't he the child that came with you?"

'Great…….Lucas would just love to hear you saying that' Bridger thought to himself at the man's condescending tone towards the teenager that apparently hadn't changed since their visit of the Andromeda facility.

"He is 17 years of age, Councillor, hardly a child by any definition," Bridger said in the young man's defence. "But at the moment, and being a valued member of this crew, his safety and well-being is my first priority. This man has already tried to sabotage the SeaQuest and took Lucas by force."

"Even if what you say is true……….," Cavanagh to say, extracting a strangled gasp of surprise from a couple of the crew members watching the exchange and causing Bridger to narrow his eyes in an hostile glare that anyone would dare call him a liar in front of his crew, and especially about Lucas.

Cavanagh smiled inwardly to himself, knowing that the Captain's cool exterior was beginning to crack just a little.

He had always seen himself as a master of manipulation. The opponent on this occasion was indeed of a higher class, but he could see that the teenager was the man's Achilles heel. He always thought it necessary to work out someone's weaknesses and use them to his advantage.

"Who do you say took this boy?" Cavanagh questioned, trying to figure out as much information as possible for himself.

"A black man by the name of Martin Clemens, also goes by the name 'Mycroft' in some circles………….," Bridger managed to get out before he was sharply cut off again.

"As you already aware, Captain!" Cavanagh said firmly, the man's tone of voice changing to harshness and contempt,  
"This facility would never allow such a person to enter its perimeter," he stated, enunciating and giving an edge to each word.

"What the hell does it matter what colour skin Clemens has?" Bridger shot back, losing his composure momentarily at the man's narrowminded views on people of different races. "If he is going to sneak into Andromeda, he will sneak in, whether he is black, white or has pink stripes."

Ford stood rigid and straight behind the Captain, giving his silent and support and determined to display to the Councillor that he was a capable man at any task. It wasn't as if he hasn't come across racism before, but the openness of Cavanagh's dislike set his temper on edge.

Cavanagh appeared to take offense at Bridger's sharp response, but the man's exterior lack of emotional or willingness to show any sort of reaction was admiral to say the least.

"No one, I repeat no one, has ever been able to enter this facility without our sensors being aware. The computer system that you witnessed first hand is of the highest standard and will not allow any unauthorized visitor to merely wander among our community," Cavanagh

To everyone else standing behind Bridger watching the exchange between the two men, the assumption of the unspoken words became more apparent, "_Especially a black man' _they could almost hear him saying with disgust.

"Look we are wasting time here………..," Krieg interjected, not being able to sit by as calmly as Bridger whilst this guy took away precious time they could be using to find his friend.

Bridger used a restraining hand to signal that he understood how Ben felt, but knew he had to prevent the Moral Officer from saying something that would terminate any sort of contact with Andromeda. If that is where Clemens was headed with Lucas, then they had to be open to all types of assistance, even the unwanted kind.

Ben took a step back, but outwardly showed his displeasure at being effectively muzzled from further comment.

"Maybe there is a way Clemens is able to gain access to your facility without being detected," Bridger now stated, wanting to be brief and to the point, anxious to start searching for Lucas himself. Cavanagh's delaying tactics were not sitting well with him anymore than they were with Kristin or Krieg and the other crewmembers standing on the Bridge of the SeaQuest.

"Impossible!" came the one word reply.

Bridger decided to keep going rather than let Cavanagh win the psychological battle between them that the Councillor was so adamant at keeping score for.

"We heard him make connections with a rebel group, called "Rogue 2" or something," Bridger supplied, looking back at Kristen and other crew members to check he had given the correct code name.

Katie Hitchcock was the only one who didn't nod affirmatively, not being with the rest of the crew at the time.

"Criminal Activity is very rare here on Andromeda, Captain. And I strongly reject any such notions of rebel groups or any such organization within this facility," Cavanagh rebuked.

"Of course you would," Kristin muttered angrily just loud enough for the SeaQuest to hear.

"So you admit your not going to help us?" Bridger accused.

"I have already told you that there is no reason for us to help you, Captain. Despite what you thought you heard or didn't hear as part of a communication aboard your vessel, it has no relevance to this community or its function.

Your suggestion of rebel factions within Andromeda are baseless and offensive. Your statements of undesirable people being able to enter this facility under false pretences is ludicrous, unsubstantiated and unwarranted."

Bridger look liked his had just been forced to swallow a lemon, his face wearing a the distinctive look of _"How Dare You!', _scarcely able to believe the audacity and righteousness that Cavanagh believed his society to be all knowing and all seeing and most of all 'above all others'.

"May I remind you Councillor, that your facility is a U.E.O. sanctioned operation. The waters that surround you are within the jurisdiction of the U.E.O. and I as Captain of the SeaQuest represent Admiral Noyce and all that the U.E.O. upholds."

"A noble gesture on your part, Captain, I am sure, but an empty façade. This facility is self-sufficient as it was designed to be and currently is able to remain unaffected by the U.E.O. or any of its representatives," Cavanagh snidely commented.

Bridger wasn't about to play with this man any further, "If I find out that you have deliberately kept information from me or my crew at any stage, or intend to disrupt any part of my current investigation into this so-called 'mysterious message' then the U.E.O. will be the least of your concerns."

"Take heed, Captain, that your vessel does nothing to intimidate me or this community and that you nor any member of your crew are welcome here any longer and we have the means to defend ourselves if we deem your actions to be in violation of our laws or intent on interrupting our way of life."

"You have weapons on your community?" I thought you were supposed to be a peaceful people?" Jonathan Ford spoke. From what he had been lead to believe all this time, Andromeda was supposed to be non-violent.

Cavanagh completely ignored the black-skinned Commander, refusing to even acknowledge the question, glancing back at Ford as though he was something he might find on the bottom of his shoe.

"Is that a threat, Councillor?" Bridger asked, his voice calm, but low and clear that he wasn't about to accept any form of intimidation or harassment.

"You have wasted more than enough of my time, Captain. I have nothing further to say to you," Cavanagh stated, severing the transmission.

Bridger and the other crew members blinked and blinked again at the man's brashness and outright rudeness.

"That sanctimonious son-of-a-bitch!" Ben roared in anger, keeping his fists clenched at his side. "If he does anything to stop us finding Lucas, I am going to personally sew him a new liver."

* * *

Cavanagh stood in front of the blank screen for a few moments, trying to go over everything that had been exchanged between himself and the SeaQuest.

Whilst he was able to gain some valuable information about the Captain himself, unfortunately he had found himself revealing a little too much about Andromeda as well.

What made him scowl even more was the mention of so-called "rebel" groups on Andromeda. Up until now, he knew of a handful of people that had been causing trouble and needing "correcting", but in recent weeks, their planned attacks and sabotage had become more noticeable and organized.

People were beginning to ask questions, and he didn't like that. Members of the community of Andromeda were supposed to go about their day to day lives until they were told differently. Until they were told what they were supposed to do and it was him and only him that decreed what the rules were.

The other Council members had been making noises recently too, having heard the rumours and wanting confirmation about their existence. He was becoming annoyed at this too. Everything used to be in control, under his control.

Now this SeaQuest and her crew had to come barging in and sticking their nose in where it didn't belong.

"Are you alright, Councillor?" one of the workers asked out of respect, stepping back in haste at the intense glare he received from the man in return.

"Have the leader of the night patrols come to my office immediately, I have some important matters of business to discuss with him," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," the man said nervously, bowing slightly as he tried to scurry from the room without turning his back on the Councillor.

Cavanagh could see the fibres beginning to unwind and that was unacceptable. The only way to maintain order and discipline in the community was to show the citizens what happened to those who spoke out of turn or refused to obey.

The man made long decisive strides towards his office, the long coat he was wearing billowing behind him with the pace. The large doors to his personal chambers slammed shut with a resounding metallic clunk.

* * *

_Back aboard the SeaQuest:_

"Okay people, we might not like it, but I think it is clear to everyone now that Andromeda isn't going to provide any assistance," Bridger asserted. "Now lets put our heads together and come up with some viable alternatives, because Lucas doesn't have the time for us to be resting on our laurels."

"You don't really think that he knows something about Clemens and is hiding it do you, Nathan?" Kristin asked.

"At this point, I can't be sure. Up until now we assumed that Andromeda wasn't armed with the standard weapons that we are used to seeing. As you mentioned Jonathan, they are supposed to be a peaceful society that turn the other cheek." Bridger answered.

"Seems to me he is hiding something, Captain?" Ford interjected.

"Yes, but we will worry about that once we have Lucas back safely aboard. Until then, let's just focus on finding him alive and well," the Captain agreed.

"What are we going to do if Clemens has taken Lucas to Andromeda, Captain?" Tim O'Neill asked, seated at his communications station.

"For the moment, I am going out in Stinger and scout around as much as I can. Krieg, I want you to send out a few of the crew in the Sea Crabs to see if they can look for any clues as well," Bridger stated.

"You don't want me out there in one looking too," Krieg queried, itching to get going.

"I know how you feel, Ben, but I want you and Kristin to co-ordinate with Jonathan. When we find out which direction the launch went, I want a two part strike force. A single man unit to go in first, consisting of myself. Then a small second contingent, including you Kristin, in case we need further medical assistance," Bridger responded.

Kristin nodded her acknowledgement, all of them already aware that Lucas had been carrying relatively fresh injuries when he was forced onto the launch. The video from Node 3 and the brief displays and outbursts on the Moon Pool deck from Clemens worried her more about what he was capable of when angered or cornered.

"A two part team is not a bad idea, Captain," Ford strategized, knowing that the Captain would be wanting the best method of finding Lucas, but also the best crew members to carry out any sort of rescue attempt if things became hostile and dangerous.

"We have no idea how big this rebel group is that Clemens is working with, and no way of knowing what weapons they have or what their agenda is," Ford pointed out.

"Which is why I need to go in on my own first and why we need a back up plan if things get too hairy. Lucas has to be the focus and is my main priority. Rounding up Mycroft or any of his cronies is an after thought just like Cavanagh

"Ortiz, once I am outside in the Stinger, I want you to keep those W.S.K.R.S moving at all times. If the water becomes murky or too difficult to navigate in, you are going to become my second pair of ears and eyes," Bridger said to the Cuban Chief Sensor Officer.

"Yes, Sir," Miguel replied, getting prepared at his station to help guide the Captain as much as he could through the cold deep waters of the oceans surrounding them and Andromeda.

"Commander, you should be able to keep in contact with me at all times in the Stinger, but don't be alarmed if you lose sight of me. I will radio in my position as much as I can out there, once I get my bearings," Bridger addressed Ford.

"Aye, Sir," Ford answered crisply, stepping into the familiar role of leader in the Captain's absence.

"Let me know the minute we detect any of the additive from the launch's fuel in the water," Bridger requested as he prepared to walk off the Bridge, knowing that the helm and stations were in the hands of experienced personnel.

"Commander Hitchcock, I want you to monitor Andromeda as much as possible. If there is any activity outside of the facility, coming or going. I don't know whether you will be able to detect any communications or transmissions, but I want a pair of eyes watching Cavanagh as much as our instruments will allow. Don't reveal the probe to him just yet though unless it becomes vital."

"Yes, Captain," Katie said firmly, knowing that she would have to be a little creative and imaginative in her monitoring techniques.

"Come on people, this one is for Lucas, we are not going to let him down," Bridger announced, trying to provoke determination into them all for their assigned tasks.

Kristin and Ben left the Bridge in each other's company, Krieg headed off to supply to make sure both teams would have all the provisions and equipment they would need. He would supply Bridger some general items first in case he was able to catch up to Clemens and the launch. Some food and water rations, a medical first aid kit and anything else he could think of that may be useful but small enough to pack into the compact amphibious vehicle.

The second team would be travelling in a launch similar to the one that had been stolen. They were already pretty well self-sufficient with supplies stowed on board. But he would make sure to double check with Ford whether anything special needed to be packed. He assumed that some of them would be armed incase they came across hostile trouble and had to defend and protect themselves.

"Hang on Lucas, I am coming," he said under his breath as he walked towards his own cabin and then the launch bays.

* * *

Clemens quickly glanced behind him at the sound of compartments being opened and searched through. He could see the pale looking teenager rifling through the equipment stored above his head. Lucas paused for a moment or two, putting his hand to his head and wincing out loud as the headache continued to make itself noticed.

For a moment the hacker was worried that he hadn't had the time to take the necessary precautions before they started off of searching the compartments himself. He didn't want Lucas stumbling along anything that could be perceived as a weapon and used against himself or to help free the metallic bonds around his wrists.

Lucas became agitated and frustrated when his hands couldn't quite reach all the way, yanking harshly on the handcuffs, and silently cursing when the actions remained futile.

"You won't find anything," Mycroft announced, knowing he couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

"Don't be too sure about that," Lucas shot back turning towards Clemens too quickly, and having to stop short when dizziness assailed him once more. He stopped mid-accusation, too tired and in too much pain to find any further comebacks.

Instead he focused on sitting on the long seat along the side wall of the launch, feeling his legs turning to jelly and not wanting to fall flat on his face in front of his captor no matter how bad the pain in his head was becoming.

Mycroft sighed, knowing that he had done irreparable damage to a fledgling friendship all those years ago on Node 3, and now after everything that had happened today, the teenager was never going to co-operate or trust him again.

"I am not the enemy here, Lucas," Clemens started to say in a quiet tone of voice, hoping to appeal to the computer nerd side of the boy and gain at least some degree of civility between them.

But the words had the complete opposite affect and Lucas jumped hotly to his feet, glaring at the man, "Not the enemy?"

Lucas scoffed, barely able to contain his contempt. "How the hell can you sit there and say that, when I am over here, chained to the god-damned seat!"

"You don't understand Lucas, Cavanagh operates by using force and keeping the people of Andromeda oppressed," Clemens said, reminding himself a little of just why he was willing to take such extreme measures.

"And that is different from you right now exactly how?" Lucas baited, forcing himself to sit down one more and beginning to feel light-headed.

Clemens went to say something further, but at such an honest assessment of the current situation, he found he had no words of defense to offer. He couldn't justify his actions to Lucas in any way that would satisfy the teenager.

"Yeah, exactly what I thought…….," Lucas said with disgust, pulling on the handcuffs once more for emphasis.

His body was tired and his head was aching abominably. He just wanted the pain to stop and go back home. He leaned his head back against the wall of the launch and closed his eyes, waiting for the spinning sensation to stop.

For a moment or two, Clemens thought Lucas might be drifting off to sleep, having seen the bloodshot eyes and heard the grimaces of pain. After a couple of minutes though, it was clear that sleep was not going to come and that the teenager was merely doing his best to cope with the discomfort and gather some strength.

"Your last trip to Andromeda took approximately fifteen minutes, Lucas," Clemens shouted back to the boy. "But I am afraid this trip is going to require taking a little different route."

Lucas started a little at the voice speaking to him, sitting up a little straighter on the seat, rubbing the back of his neck. Even his hair hurt at the moment.

"_How Different?"_ Lucas thought to himself. "Why wouldn't you take the same way as before?" he asked, keeping his voice low as he tried not to aggravate his headache. He partly suspected that it was mostly to put distance between themselves and SeaQuest.

"Last time you and the Captain were invited guests of Cavanagh to Andromeda. I am afraid that this time I have no such permission," Clemens explained, keeping his attention focused on the miles of ocean that they were floating around in outside.

"How are you going to get there then?" Lucas queried, hopeful that any delay might allow Bridger and the crew to find them before they reached the community.

"My rebel group and I have set up a sophisticated tunnel system leading to some caves that will allow me to drive the launch in undetected by Cavanagh's main frame computer. Once inside the cavern will be filled with oxygen and I will be able to settle the launch on one of the rocky plateau's until the others arrive," Mycroft answered with an air of smugness to his voice that they hadn't been caught yet.

Lucas rolled his eyes as much as his aching head would allow, seeing the ego trip that Clemen's brain was taking.

"How can you be so sure that Cavanagh doesn't know anything about it?" the teenager questioned, already seeing first hand for himself the sophisticated main frame that the Councillor had believed was the great and be all of things on Andromeda.

"Because they are the same system of caverns that I used to escape Andromeda when I sent that distress call that the UEO picked up. I must admit that my craft was a little smaller than this launch, but we should still be able to squeeze through the entrance to the caves without any trouble."

"Squeeze through?" Lucas prompted, not liking the sound of that idea at all.

"Well the opening is a bit of a tight fit. Part of the reason why I crashed my craft in the first place I am embarrassed to admit………..," Clemens was in the middle of explaining when launch felt a large jolt.

Lucas grabbed a hold of the seat as best he could, the shudder of the vessel forcing him to his knees.

A number of alarms and sensors were making various warning noises from the cockpit, though the teenager couldn't get a good enough look from his restrained position.

"What the hell was that?" he said, using the pole to pull himself to his feet.

No sooner had he stood up, when he found himself clinging to the pole to prevent ending up on the floor again as the launch lurched again, this time from the other side.

"Shut up and let me think," Clemens barked as he tried to look at the controls all at once and stop the launch from careening out of control.

"Easy for you to say, you are not the one being tossed around back here," Lucas responded. "Let me get up there and take a look and see what is going on," he suggested.

"Uh-uh, no way, Lucas, you know I can't risk you being able to send any kind of signal to the SeaQuest to give away our position."

"The only position we are going to be in if you don't do something is all over the ocean floor," Lucas pointed out plainly.

"Just give me a minute will you, I haven't had the vast experience or luxury with these launches that seem to have," Clemens chastised.

"Oh, I am sorry, did you forget to pack the 'Beginner's Manual', let me get it for you as you wear the control panel. With any luck, we might just avoid slamming into a slab of rock," Lucas said snippily.

Clemens glared back at the teenager and was about to say something else, but the launch was hit by another large jolt and then another in quick succession.

The jolt had caused Lucas to end up on his knees again, "What did we do, side swipe a bus? We are in the middle of the ocean!"

"This far down there are many very strong under water currents. I think that is what hampered me the last time. They seem to act like eddies and swirl around, gaining speed and momentum in pockets." Mycroft

"We are close to the entrance to the caves and they create a vacuum like effect as we pilot through the mouth," Clemens forewarned.

"Even Krieg doesn't drive the launch this badly…….," but Lucas's snide comment was abruptly cut off as the launch began to creak and groan loudly.

"Hold onto something back there, this is going to get very bumpy," Clemens shouted as the noise from the screeching instruments got louder.

'I want to get off the roller coaster……..' Lucas protested avidly as the launch jerked in the grip of the ocean's again.

"Can't you do something……….besides getting us killed I mean," Lucas called out, but above him, a number of the doors to the supply compartments sprang open, dumping and scattering their contents out all over the teenager and launch floor.

Clemens briefly glanced behind him at the startled yelp as the avalanche of various objects descended onto the teenager, but he had bigger problems that needed his attention for the moment.

The control panel was lit up like a Christmas tree with red lights flashing and alarms wailing from every direction.

For the moment, Mycroft was focused on keeping buoyancy and trying to stop the small vessel from being thrown around so violently. It was taking his best efforts just to wrestle for an ounce of control.

Lucas wanted to shout to Clemens to try releasing some of the excess weight from the launch in attempt to make it lighter and hopefully more maneuverable, but the unstable motions of the vessel forced him to concentrate on his own problems for the moment.

The teenager now found himself on the floor, though he couldn't exactly remember falling to get there. He put his hand to the side of his head, feeling at the wound courtesy of Mycroft. He withdrew it at the stinging sensation, looking down and noting the fresh bleeding.

He peered out from his position, squinting slightly, thinking that the lights inside the launch had become awfully bright all of a sudden. Everything looked too close up and blurry, too big.

Everything was scattered over the floor of the launch. With his head feeling like it was full of cotton wool, he gingerly reached out to grab a hold and see if there was anything of use.

Something that would open the handcuff's around his wrist, or some aspirin that might lessen the monster of a headache that was crashing inside his head.

Lucas picked up a small rectangular plastic packet and brought it up close to his face: an emergency sewing kit, complete with spare buttons, cotton thread and a needle or two.

'_Great………… in case of an emergency, please sew button onto uniform'_ a less than impressed he inwardly commented. Then he frowned a little, trying to picture the various uniforms he had seen the crew wearing in the past week, and he swore that he had only seen zippers not buttons.

It briefly crossed his mind that he might be able to use the thin galvanized needles, but that thought was soon thwarted as some part of his brain took notice of how close he was having to look to see the small objects. He tossed it aside and started reaching for the next item.

His hand came into contact with a long thin item, "Darn it, doesn't this crate have anything useful on it," he muttered shoving the adult sized tooth brush away.

'_Maybe I could beat Mycroft with it' _his too-tired brain thought. He really was beginning to have trouble staying alert. The next item that he reached for was recognizable due to this thin metallic foil covering: emergency rations.

'_Great, had enough of those last time thanks' _he told himself, a memory of being far too wet and battered about by strong wind glancing across his mind.

His stomach was beginning to feel very nauseous so he wasn't tempted to eat anyway. Part of his common sense reminded him that he should be shoving the morsels into his pockets to keep for later….. but before he could finish the thought, the launch rolled roughly to the side again.

Using strength that he certainly didn't think he had, Lucas scrambled to the side of the launch, peering out the port-hole window to see where they were and what danger they were in.

Before he could open his mouth to shout at Clemens, his breath was stolen away by the fear as a large rock face appeared almost close enough to touch.

The next thing Lucas saw was stars as the launch jerked more violently towards the left hand-side, causing his head to smack hard against the rim of the port-hole. The blow had struck him only a few millimeters lower than the head injury that he had sustained from Mycroft.

The current surrounding the launch was getting stronger and the vacuum effect caused both occupants to be thrown about the cabin area.

The teenager now lay along the seat, unconscious, oblivious to the continual lurching of the vessel from one side to the other. Fresh blood trickled down the side of his face and pooled under his chin as he lay prone on the hard floor.

* * *

_Back to the SeaQuest:_

"SeaQuest do you read?" came the garbled radio transmission from the Stinger.

"We read you, Captain," Ford acknowledged, the other crew members on the Bridge carrying out their duties diligently, but taking careful note of what was happening just outside the SeaQuest.

"Everything seems to be working fine. The instruments are indicating depth, speed and direction. Pressure seems normal for now, but will have to keep a close eye on that," Bridger rattled off, making sure he did a preliminary check.

There was no point in heading out and intending to rescue Lucas if the Stinger failed to follow a trail if they found one.

"I can monitor you from here as well, Captain," Katie Hitchcock informed him. Ford nodded his approval, knowing that she had the most experience and knowledge apart from Lucas about the small maneuverable craft.

"I never realized before how thin the pilot has to be in this thing," Bridger commented, moving about the seat and trying to get a little more comfortable.

The Captain knew he was a lot older in age than the teenager, but this certainly gave you a whole new perspective. Bridger didn't consider himself to be carrying any extra pounds, but a few sessions in the gym once he was back onboard wouldn't hurt either.

"I am pretty sure Lucas designed it that way, Captain," Hitchcock said with a lighter tone to her voice. "So that nobody else would be able to drive it except him."

"I think you might be right, Commander," Bridger agreed, thinking back to the design of the craft and how much input and how much skill Lucas had put in and demonstrated with its creation and construction.

"Launching Stinger now," the Captain announced.

"WOW!" could be heard coming over the radio frequency a few minutes later, "Boy it sure moves, forgetting briefly how long it had been since he had taken a joy-ride.

The crew onboard the SeaQuest gave small grins at the surprise in Bridger's voice at the speed and other aspects of the Stinger. Lucas of course had told them endlessly how good it was, and they had seen the teenager operate the craft on a number of occasions, both under controlled conditions and when he was afforded a little more leeway.

Up until now, there had only been a handful of crew members given the privilege, including Hitchcock, Krieg, the Captain and Lucas.

"For now, let's concentrate on the important things, like finding Lucas," Bridger directed. "Give me a direction, please Mr Ortiz."

"Hold on for a moment, Captain, I think my sensors are picking up something," Miguel said as he held up his hand for those around him to be silent. Adjusting the headphones, he listened a little more, but it wasn't a sound or a noise of an engine that helped him pinpoint a possible direction in which the launch gone.

Looking up at the large screen in front of him, a graph was showing the measurements of various components in the surrounding seawater.

Bridger didn't want to seem impatient, but the waiting was eating away at him. The seconds ticking away and reminding him of just how much closer to finding Lucas that they were not. He ran a hand through his short graying hair and slowly blew out a breath, telling himself to calm down and relax.

Sometimes though, the same methods he used on new recruits and submariners, didn't always work on yourself, when your stomach was twisted in knots.

His mind began to mull over the past couple of horrendous days, about going to Andromeda, putting up with Councillor Cavanagh and then finding Clemens. Now wasn't that a kick in the guts. All this time he had never suspected anything

being wrong, and he had allowed the one person back onboard, responsible for kidnapping Lucas and the mess they currently found themselves in.

'Trips down 'regretful lane' though would have to wait as the radio crackled into life once more……

"Captain, I am picking up very minute traces starting about 100 metres ahead of where you are now. Only a small trace, barely 2 parts per million, but they identify as being similar in chemical make up to the compound that was being added to the launch fuel," Ortiz explained.

"Noted….. I will let you when I find something. Keep those updates coming back to me," Bridger instructed as he began to steer the nose of the Stinger to the where it needed to be.

"Aye, Sir, SeaQuest out," Ortiz responded, continually watching the bar graph increase and decrease as the sampling continued.

* * *

Clemens felt the large jolt from the launch, making contact with the rock face and lip of the cavern. He had been pulling on the controls as hard as he could to avoid the impending collision, but the current and vacuum affect from the water did him no favours.

The vessel continued to lurch heavily to the side, Microft fighting for some kind of control the whole way.

"Got to keep it off the sides," Clemens reminded himself through clenched teeth as he tightened his grip on the controls and tried to battle for speed and maneuverability.

"Damn!" he shouted out again, as the launch struck the rock face again. This time however, the current seemed to only increase the loss of control and the launch refused to heed to any of the electronic signals.

Microft attempted to slow the deep sea vessel down and hoped that the increase in decent may help lessen the force of any impact.

Once again though, the vacuum from the current within the cave tossed the small craft about.

Clemens swore loudly as a hydrolic hose connection inside the cabin above the control panel burst, sending out a cloudy jet of air as the rubber hose itself snaked to and fro. He couldn't immediately tell what damage was done to the internal workings of the launch. But it signaled that the air pressure inside the launch was increasing too rapidly.

The launch was in serious trouble and Martin could no longer pretend any differently.

With very little warning, the next jolt to the launch, caused the vessel to veer towards the rock wall of the cave again, and strike it hard. Clemens had not been prepared for the resounding smack of his forehead on the control panel and slumped unconscious in the pilot's seat.

With nobody at the controls, the crash of the launch now became imminent and dangerous to the two unconscious occupants. The back of the launch was beginning to fish tale from left to right in a wide arch as the current maintained its path towards the bottom of the cavern floor.

The launch landed harshly against the rocks, severely bending the right-hand support underneath the launch, causing the vessel to lean very heavily to one side.

Several squealing alarms had still been shrilly sounding in the background as the launch descended rapidly, but they all ceased when the second bounce knocked out the internal power supply. The control panel which had been alight with various different readings and coloured graphs, was now black and void of any helpful information about the critical condition of vessel or the two people inside.

* * *

The "zzzt" sound of sparking electrical wires were the only sound inside the eerily quiet cabin of the damaged SeaQuest Launch.

The launch lay partially on its side with the lower part of the front sinking lower into the low tide. When the tide returned later in the day, much more of the vessel would be submerged in the cold current.

On the outside, the launch showed the loud signs of impact in numerous places. Gouges in the metal hull and scratches along its side, witness to the tough fight that she had fought against the rock walls of the cavern in which it was now imprisoned and lay incapacitated.

One of the outside guide lights still gave off a faint yellow glow to show that a small amount of power was still getting to the lighting of the launch. Inside the cabin itself, the emergency lights flickered, trying to remain strong, but the last impact had caused some of her systems to become more than offline.

To the rear of the launch, boxes of supplies that Mycroft had carefully stacked and secured whilst aboard SeaQuest, were now strewn about in a haphazard method, one of the securing ropes that had been in place, now snapped in two.

The ropes at the bottom still held, and those boxes were still in place, although a couple leaning precariously, threatening to spill their contents of fresh water bottles and medical supplies.

Lucas was laying approximately 10 metres away from the scattered boxes and contents, still unconscious from the blow against the porthole frame, and no doubt from the rough treatment his body had received at being tossed about as Clemens finally lost control of the launch.

Further towards the front, at the pilot's console, Mycroft lay sprawled on the floor, a glancing blow at his temple as the launch twisted and faltered knocking him out and causing him to fall into his current position.

His level of consciousness was beginning to return, as the different sounds from within the cabin began to filter into his sub-conscious and his body reminded him of what had just occurred.

Warily, Mycroft raised a hand and rubbed at the raised bruised area that he could feel on his forehead. He could see no blood when he swiped the palm across it and looked, but he had a headache that was throbbing and making its presence well and truly known.

The series of events that had lead to the crash of the launch came back to him slowly, as if watching a movie in slow motion. When he saw the final lurching against the rockface, he pulled himself up, remembering that the force of the current had sucked the vessel deeper into the cavern and he had been unable to stop its rapid descent to its current fate.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, it was when he used his hand for support that Clemens felt the puddle of water that had accumulated about the cabin floor. He frowned at first, wondering if it was sea water and that the outside hull had been breached by the rocks. A smell detected no saltiness to the water.

Looking about the disarray of boxes and equipment, he could see that the water was more than likely from some of the burst plastic bottles that he had taken from SeaQuest.

Crawling on his knees for about a meter, Mycroft was then able to pull himself to his feet, using the back of the pilot's chair as an anchor to grab onto. Taking stock of which parts of his body hurt, he noted with relief that apart from a general ache, the headache was the only lingering effect to be making itself known for the time being.

He glanced down at his wrist, having no idea of how much time had passed since the crash, knowing that his contact unit Company Leader was supposed to be rendezvousing with him at some point. He didn't know if any of the communication or radio equipment would allow for a transmission to them or anybody else for help at this point.

The console was dark and nothing could be seen on any of the screens laid out across the panel. Clemens tried a few switches, but nothing seemed to be working. He had no idea if the launch contained any tools that might prove useful in fixing the problems. Sighing heavily with disappointment, it seemed doubtful that the launch would be repairable anytime soon. This just made his headache throb all the more.

Glancing back towards the rear of the cabin he now saw the still form of Lucas and he reminded himself of why there was a passenger aboard with him. He had remembered seeing pain on the boy's face before the launch had crashed, but was now concern about the lack of movement from the teenager.

Wading across the slipping floor, kicking a few empty bottles as he went, he knelt down beside the teenager, and laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping that the kid would show some signs of waking up. Lucas's wrist was still cuffed to the metal pole, which had probably prevented him from being tossed around further within the cabin.

"Come on, Lucas," Clemens said, shaking the shoulder, noting that the shirt was damp in places, no doubt from the water same as himself. "Wake up," he said, nudging the youth once more.

No response. Using both hands, he cautiously rolled the teenager on his side, trying to gauge any further injuries, noting the pale and slack face that greeted him. Mycroft had to alter his grip at one stage to account for the handcuff. Lucas's eyes remained closed, but he appeared to be breathing on his own.

Pushing the teenager over further, allowing Lucas to lay on his back, Mycroft could see the fresh bleeding and new blossoming bruising that had begun to join the earlier marring to his face. This is exactly what he didn't need, the teenager out of action again. He assumed that Lucas wouldn't have asked for more pain either.

"Okay kid, just rest for a minute to I see what mess I have gotten us into this time," Clemens said, gingerly standing up and trying to formulate in his head, what needed to be done first. For a brief moment he paused and weighed up the option of unlocking the cuffs, but decided against it, not knowing how long it would be until Lucas started to show signs of regaining consciousness.

If Lucas was awake, no doubt he would be looking for the first possible opportunity to escape, and Clemens wasn't prepared to allow that. He would reassess the problem later when became necessary.

Mycroft stumbled back toward the main console, taking the radio mouthpiece in his hand and attempting to hail anybody nearby to their need for assistance.

"May Day, May Day, this is Rogue 2, is there anybody out there?"

There wasn't even the cackle of static through the speaker to convince him that his message was being received by anyone.

"I repeat, May Day, May Day, this is Rogue 2, we need help."

Still silence prevailed; tossing the mouthpiece aside in frustration and watching it tumble across the dead panel in front of him.

"What else is going to go wrong," he berated, thinking that everything was turning out exactly the opposite to how he had planned it.

He had merely wanted to get help for his rebel friends, and with a stroke of luck had managed to stumble across some helpful medical and food supplies that would aid them further.

What he hadn't anticipated was SeaQuest and her ability to thwart any ideas he had of returning to Andromeda with their co-operation. And now he had the added problem of being behind a 'spur-of-the-moment' kidnap plot that now had his captive injured more than once today and still unconscious on the floor behind him. He had no idea if Lucas was going to be able to help the rebels at all, willingly or unwillingly, injured or not.

On top of his current problems of an injured hostage and damaged transport, it seemed that he couldn't radio out for help, even to the SeaQuest even if he wanted to and the need to do so arose. He certainly dreaded any contact with its crew after taking their star pupil by force. Somehow they had also found out about what had happened at Node 3 years earlier, just to add to his list of misguided achievements and crimes in their eyes.

He was under no misassumptions that Bridger would already be on the hunt for his missing cub and that the welcome reception he would receive for causing Lucas to be involved in a crash would not be pleasant.

* * *

"Captain, I can't hear you, Sir, you are breaking up too much," Tim O'Neill relayed, pressing the earphone tighter over his ears in an attempt to block out all incoming noises.

The radio crackled a few times ……..not sure………….. current…………….Lucas. The transmission ended abruptly and Tim sighed audibly in frustration.

"What seems to be the problem, O'Neill," Ford addressed, walking briskly up to the Communications Station and looking intently at its operator, hoping for some forthcoming and welcome news.

"Sorry, Commander, I can only get about every third or fourth word at best, and even then it is garbled," Tim said, removing his headset for a few moments, fiddling with the frequency and trying to pick up a clearer message from Bridger.

"I thought he was only a short distance away from the SeaQuest when Ortiz gave him those co-ordinates?" Ford questioned, recalling the conversation the Chief Sensor had with Bridger as he maneuvered the Stinger away from the SeaQuest.

"He was Sir, and for a minute or two after Miguel told him to follow that course, the Stinger was doing that. But now I cannot even get an accurate reading on his position. Something is interfering with any radio message that we get from him. I don't know if it's the depth, or the surrounding rock features, but I cannot get a firm fix on his position for the past 5 minutes," O'Neill explained.

Some of the other senior crew members on the Bridge had stopped what they were doing to hear the exchange between Tim and Ford. All of them wearing grim faces that their problems seemed to be mounting by the minute when they were desperately seeking information about Lucas.

Ford rubbed at his forehead for a moment, deep in thought and putting his years of military training to practice about what to do in such a situation, knowing that more than 1 crew member may need assistance.

"Okay, keep trying to contact the Captain, we still have to believe that he can hear our messages or at least they are trying to get through," Ford ordered.

"In the meantime, I want Captain Bridger's orders about the preparation of a second team to be carried out and that rescue team to be ready to leave on my signal," he addressed the crew, knowing they would be looking towards him and Katie for leadership.

"We will be ready, Commander," Kristin said with confidence, looking at Ben and giving a small smile of determination. She knew that he was just as eager to look for the missing teenager as she was.

"Katie, I need you to take over the co-ordination of the Sea Crab crews and those searches," Jonathan instructed.

"I will work with Tim and Ortiz and try and establish contact again with Captain Bridger."

"Aye, Sir," Katie said, standing up from her console and fully prepared to take over that area of the rescue mission.

She moved over towards one of the helmsmen and focused on the new task she had been assigned, knowing that any part of the plan being carried out correctly, would take pressure of those who were involved in the rescue mission and not having much luck to start with.

"Looks like we are looking for both Lucas and may be even Captain Bridger now people, so let's not disappoint," Ford announced, silently trying to inject some enthusiasm and confidence in his crew.

* * *

_a few minutes earlier in the Stinger:_

"SeaQuest, this is the Captain Bridger from the Stinger, do you read me?"

A loud crackle of static forced him to hold the mouthpiece further away from his ear due to the level of noise, but there was no human response to Bridger's message. At one point he thought he had caught the sound of O'Neill's voice, but couldn't seem to get him to reply again if it had been.

He tried one more time, "This is Bridger, my instruments are all over the place and I am not sure how far I am away from the SeaQuest for now. The current surrounding me is particularly strong in this sector and is pushing this craft around quite a bit. I haven't found any sign of Lucas or the missing launch yet, Bridger out."

The control panel was still operable, but he was beginning to have some doubt about the readings of depth and direction that it was giving him. He was sure he was beginning to drift away from the path that Ortiz had directed him to by a considerable margin, unless his eyes were playing tricks on him. The speed was still respectable, but he had sacrificed it somewhat when the current showed signs of becoming much stronger against the hull.

Peering out into the water surrounding the small submersible, Bridger was grateful of the high-powered lights that Lucas had fought and argued over when constructing the vessel. It had been assumed that they would drain too much energy from other more important systems at the time, but the Captain had never been happier for the teenager's tenaciousness and having things the way he wanted them.

With each passing moment, he was also gaining a whole new appreciation for Lucas to being able to control the sub and enjoy its slim-lined design. He had only been in it for a short time, and had been in it previously, but only just now beginning to understand how claustrophobic it could make one after some time of riding inside it.

* * *

Clemens was just about to begin clearing away some of the damaged boxes and supplies from the cabin floor when a knocking sound on the metallic side of the launch brought his senses back to full alert.

He looked about, but save for a few blankets, couldn't lay his hands on a weapon in a hurry. Even the gun he had possession of when he had kidnapped Lucas was now missing and no doubt waterlogged even if he did find it in time.

"Who is it?" Mycroft demanded, looking upwards at the ladder that he and Lucas had descended earlier, "I am armed in here and prepared to use it against anyone," knowing that his statement was full of holes, and hearing it uttered from his own lips only made it sound like a corny line from some old B-Grade movie.

A few more taps on the outside of the launch, and Clemens clenched his fists, not knowing what he was going to come up against. It paid to be wary and ready to do anything after being in places like Andromeda.

"This is Company Leader group," came the voice from the other side of the cabin door.

Mycroft almost jumped with relief at the reply, "Hang on whilst I try the door, it might be stuck from the crash,"

A grating and creaking of the value that sealed the hatch above and a sliver of light could be seen, and then a face glancing back down at him with confusion written across it.

"Is that you, Clemens?" the voice asked, already having heard the man speak, but not entirely convinced of who it was until this moment. The craft that they had seen him use before was much smaller than what he knelt on top of now.

"Yes it's me," Mycroft replied, knowing that the people of Andromeda had yet to learn of his alternate name that Lucas and others used back on Node 3. He had wanted to leave his dubious past just where it was, and he had no need to broadcast he prior dealings and secret operations to anyone from there up until this point in time.

The man came down the ladder, and once standing on the cabin floor, looked up briefly at the second man who had followed his path into the downed launch.

"What happened and where did you get a vessel like this?" the man asked, looking about and clearly impressed with its sophistication despite its damaged condition.

"We crashed," Clemens said simply, not wanting to rehash all of the details of how he had gotten here and waste time. That would have to wait until later and secretly he knew that not everyone within the Rebel group would be happy with how he had gone about it.

"We?" the man asked, still glancing about, until his eyes came across the crumpled form of Lucas still laying on the floor.

Mycroft was going to tell the man to stop, but was only quick enough to see the man walk the few feet and place a worried hand on someone who looked much too young to be where he was.

"Who is this?" the man queried, using his hands to try and determine why the teenager was unconscious and how badly he was injured. He had never seen him before and Clemens had never mentioned bringing anybody back with him in the brief message that the rebel group had received earlier in the day.

"I told you I was bringing supplies and a package," Mycroft replied, hoping it would be enough of an explanation but able to see that it was not by looking at the skeptical expression he received in return.

"That was more than two hours ago, and it wasn't much of a message to begin with," the man challenged. The man now reached where the handcuff was still secured to Lucas's wrist and the pole, and knew that something more sinister was happening.

The man lifted the limp wrist, and jangled the handcuff chain in emphasis, "What the hell is this?" he demanded to know, trying once more to get a response from the injured youth.

"He was injured in the crash, knocked out. He will be alright once we get him out of here and back to the base," Mycroft gave cryptically. In the back of his mind, he was surprised at how much time he had lost to the accident. Two hours, lots of time for the SeaQuest crew to be coming after his young prisoner.

"Still doesn't explain this," the man pointed out, indicating the handcuffs, and at seeing the amount of dried blood on the boy's face and the bruising that was now much more evident, doubted that he was getting all of the story.

The second man had reached the bottom of the ladder and had listened to the exchange between the two men, equally as unhappy to see a young person chained up as he currently was.

"You know he is not going to be happy about this," the second man stated, waiting for a determination on their next move to be made.

"I don't have to explain my every action to you two, or anyone else" Clemens stated, letting the accumulation of the day's events and problems get to him a little. "Be grateful that I am trying my best to help you."

He knew exactly who "he" was and also suspected that he would not be ecstatic to see his latest acquisition, but if given time to explain, hopefully he could convince them to his way of thinking and out of their predicament.

The two men looked back at him as if he had grown two heads, scarcely able to believe that he was dictating terms to them. He was still an outsider. Some of the group saw Clemens as a savior over the past few weeks in what he had been willing to do for them. But even after all of those efforts, very little progress had been made in trying to escape Cavanagh's reach and patience was beginning to fray around the edges for a few of them.

"That kid there may be the very answer to our problems, some of them anyway," Clemens said in a low, angered voice.

"Doesn't look like he is going to be much help at all like you expect," the first man said, not liking the fact that they had an extra passenger at all. "Our supplies and resources are already stretched beyond the limit," he reaffirmed for Mycroft in case he had forgotten their true purpose.

"Don't you think I know that," Clemens snarled heatedly.

"I wonder if you do," the man stated, he was surprised and inwardly grateful for some of the bare necessities that Clemens seemed to have secured from somewhere, but he didn't want to think too hard about their places of origin. Especially if they had come from the same place as the injured teenager at his feet. They had plenty of hungry mouths that could do with these morsels of food and the clean water would be very welcome by their small desperate band.

"Let's get some of this out of here and ready to load onto the truck. That entrance is going to remain open for long and we don't know when we are going to get the next opportunity," the second man reminded his two companions.

"We are probably going to have to carry him," Clemens said with little emotion in his voice, trying to distance himself for his concern about Lucas and his brilliant mind and what it could mean to his cause, and appear as giving a little compassion.

"Keys?" the first man stated abruptly, not liking Clemens casual attitude much at all, but biting his tongue and holding off on any further arguments until they were in a more secure area to thrash things out.

Mycroft hesitated for a moment, before seeing the distinct scowl on the man's face, and reluctantly relinquished the two small silver keys from his pocket to the man's outstretched hand.

"Keep a hold on him, once he wakes up, he is going to be a handful," Clemens forewarned, but not elaborating further about the scuffle that he had already encountered with Lucas back aboard SeaQuest when he had unlocked the handcuffs.

With the handcuff unlocked, the man hoped that gently on his shoulder might rouse the unconscious man towards wakefulness. They would be able to move him much easier up the ladder and out of the launch if he was awake.

But alas his efforts seemed to be in vain as Lucas show no signs of waking and still remained quiet.

The man was still very suspicious about how the youth came to be here and injured in the first place, and wasn't about to leave him with Clemens until he was satisfied with the man's vague answers. He intended to remain with the teenager until the other unloading was completed.

For the next fifteen minutes, Mycroft and the second man worked in tandem to carry and take as much of the supplies as possible out of the launch and put them near a tunnel entrance about 200 metres away. The tide was still low, but wouldn't remain so for much longer, so they were fighting time for the tide as well as the concealed entrance to Andromeda.

The tunnel system was something that the rebels had fought to keep from Cavanagh and his army for some time, and some people had paid for their secrecy with their very lives and their freedom. With the main frame computer as vigilant as always, it was difficult to have such a tunnel system where they could possibly obtain outside assistance.

Clemens had made the first step and presumable escaped to obtain help for them, promising the rebel group and its leaders to return as quickly as possible. But it appeared that those plans had gone awry somehow.

Over time it had been established that the tunnel system was one of the few blind spots to the main frame where activity was not always detected as Cavanagh would like. The tunnel system had originally been designed for disposal of hazardous or dangerous material, but it had never been finished and the funds had been siphoned off for the man's own private projects.

For a few hours a day, the rebels had discovered that they were able to move fairly freely without drawing any adverse attention to themselves or their position. That was what they had to rely on now to return to the city outskirts and their rebel base.

* * *

"This is going to be a fairly big beacon for someone else to find," the man working with Clemens stated as they climbed down the ladder for what they hoped was the last of the supplies.

"Not something I had originally planned on, granted, but unavoidable now," Clemens answered. With the systems damaged as badly as they are, I don't know if I can get it to work properly again before the high tide comes back.

"Lucas there might know some of the workings and be able to get the communication systems back online, but that is clearly not an option on our side either," Clemens added.

The two other men exchanged startled glances that Mycroft held the kid's abilities in such high regard, but didn't mention anything out loud.

Mycroft went to grasp a hold of Lucas and lift him to help carry him out of the launch, but the first man was having none of it and stepped in front of Clemens, doing it himself.

"Come on young fellow, let's get you upright and out of here for a minute," the man said in a calm voice. He was surprised to receive a groan of complaint and pain for his trouble, but delighted to see the young man trying to turn his head a little and wake.

"Hey, he might be coming around," the second man said as he was relieved also to see the kid move.

"Lucas, can you hear me?" Mycroft spoke loudly as he stood over him, wanting to stop the display of _'poor injured boy'_ before it got out of hand. They didn't have time for him to be coddled by these two and Clemens wanted to remind them that the kid was still his prisoner.

Lucas groaned a second time, louder this time and pulled himself into a half-seated position, putting a hand to his head that throbbed unmercifully. He had yet to put a coherent thought together and seemed unaware that his bonds had been removed. He could hear voices around him, talking to him apparently, but couldn't work out what they were saying.

"Lucas on your feet, now," Clemens said gruffly, ignoring the vocal protests of the other two men and pulling Lucas to his feet in one swift motion. He was mindful to keep a firm grip on the kid's upper arm and could see teenager sway dangerously away from him.

Dizziness assailed Lucas and he swallowed harshly trying to keep his stomach under control. He frowned at the person who was grabbing him too tightly and somewhere his aching head reminded him that Mycroft was nearby and responsible for his pain.

"Bite me, Mycroft," Lucas said, but the sting of the words losing all affect as he had to stoop over to avoid fainting on the spot.

He couldn't exactly remember all of what had happened to him, but flashes of a gun being pointed at him, and being assaulted by Mycroft played through his head at various intervals. Enough for him to recall being taken away from his friends and family. The purpose Mycroft intended him for, still unknown and fuddled at the moment.

"See, nothing wrong with him that can't be cured with a firm hand," Mycroft said smugly to the other two men and began pushing the youth towards the ladder, ignoring any choice words that came from his way from Lucas. He could tell that the kid was in pain and wasn't feeling very well, but that couldn't be helped for now.

After expelling the short sarcastic phrase, pain and nauseousness relegated for Lucas becoming very sullen and quiet and compliant with his kidnapper. His hands trembled as he lay them on the side railings of the ladder, and the mere thought of climbing upwards made his head swim with dizziness once more.

By the time he had managed to climb up two of the rungs, he was breathing harshly and his head felt like it was imploding. A sharp jab from Mycroft had him startling and beginning to ascend again, but his vision was beginning to gray around the edges.

It took the two men ascending before him and Mycroft coming behind him to help haul him over the rim of the launch hatch onto the top of the roof. He stumbled slightly and was grateful for one of the men keeping a hold of him and preventing him from falling.

Once the four of them had made it down the side of the launch, Lucas was surprised to feel water lapping at his feet, another sign of just how much his head was affecting his thought and coherency process. The dizziness was getting much worse, and taking another step or two seemed an impossible task.

Mycroft kept pushing him towards the tunnel entrance, not sure if half of the boy's antics were a stalling tactic. He had seen Lucas grasp answers before most people had even thought of the question, so he was not taking any chances.

As they neared the boxes and piles of supplies, Mycroft ordered Lucas to sit and say put. The teenager didn't want to alert his captor to the fact that he probably wasn't capable of taking another step anyway. The action of sitting down caused some of the stiffness of his muscles to protest and he involuntarily moaned at the discomfort.

The three men were talking together in a group only a few feet away, but Lucas found it harder and harder to try and make out any words from the conversation and he found that looking about his surroundings only made his head ache more. He had no idea of how the launch came to be in a cavern of this size, but would ask that question later.

To Lucas, his head felt heavy and touching any part of it caused him to whimper in pain, even if it was just with his fingertips.

Out of the corner of his eye, the second man facing Mycroft, saw the teenager begin to slide sideways towards the ground. The kid had been leaning against a stack of four boxes, but his upper body was now leaning and descending as though to lay down.

Mycroft had his back momentarily to the teenager, instead watching the tunnel entrance and making sure that they were within the correct time block to remain undetected as they moved into Andromeda. It was only when one of the men he was speaking to shouted to Lucas that he turned.

"Hey kid, you alright there?" the man asked as he stepped closer to the youth.

Lucas didn't feel his eyes drooping, and couldn't seem to shake the heavy pull of sleep. He didn't hear the voice calling out to him as he let go and willingly fell into the deep blackness, hoping to escape some of the pain.

"Damn it," the man said as he caught the limp teenager's shoulders as he slumped towards the cavern floor. The man turned his head and peered at the boy's face, not liking the lack of colour.

"Don't worry about that, we don't have time to stop now, even if he is. Leave him until last and then you can carry him between yourselves after we get those two trucks loaded. You two can ride together, put Lucas in the passenger seat of the other one and I will drive it back to the agreed rendezvous area," Clemens ordered.

"He is out again," the man stated plainly enough, his displeasure at seeing someone this young injured and unable to stay conscious clearly evident. "Just what the hell did you do to him?" wanting some questions answered from the man he deemed to be responsible for the kid's condition and treatment.

The man used one hand to grab a hold of one of the blankets piled up nearby and slid it into place under Lucas's head.

Mycroft ignored the question.

To Be Continued………….

So long since update – no writing time at the moment. Have quite a few chapters written that can be posted soon on other stories. I was going to go much further on this chapter and into Andromeda, but there are lots more characters to be introduced – and I have said too much in this chapter already. Not much action yet I am afraid. I couldn't quite get the crash of the launch like I wanted to. Mr man one and two haven't been named yet – but will be.

Apologies for those who don't like long chapters - I can't write short ones it seems.

Not much happening to Lucas in this chapter yet I am afraid. But the unnamed men seemed to write personalities of their own and I didn't originally plan on doing that, kinda just wrote itself.

And as to who "He" is – a very important character for the rest of the story – but yet to be introduced – for a number of reasons. But a character I think you will be interested about as you find out more about him. Still developing Cavanagh's personality yet a little too.

A few of the descriptions of things – like the Stinger – are clues that I have written in for upcoming stories – to tie them together a little more.

The idea for Captain Bridger getting a little lost – was supposed to be a bit longer – and what happens to him was going to be in this chapter as well – but will leave that for the next one.

.Not sure which story to be updated next – but have written lots for some of them – updating as soon as I can.

Thank you for reading.

JULES


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